Nintendo has this weird habit of competing with itself. You see it every time a new console drops, but nothing quite matches the internal rivalry between the globe-trotting sandbox of Odyssey and the gravity-defying spectacle of Galaxy. When people talk about Super Mario Odyssey - A Galaxy Story, they aren’t usually talking about a literal spin-off or a hidden DLC chapter that Nintendo forgot to announce. They’re talking about the DNA. They’re talking about how the Nintendo Switch’s flagship title essentially swallowed the best parts of the Wii era and spat them out in 4K-adjacent glory.
It’s personal.
If you grew up shaking a Wii Remote to perform a spin jump, Odyssey feels like coming home to a house that’s been completely remodeled. It’s bigger. The ceilings are higher. But the foundation is unmistakably built on the lessons learned among the stars. To understand Super Mario Odyssey - A Galaxy Story, you have to look at how Nintendo moved away from the linear "obstacle course" design of Galaxy while secretly keeping its most addictive mechanics tucked inside Cappy’s brim.
The Gravity of the Situation: How Odyssey Borrows from the Stars
Let’s be real. Super Mario Galaxy was a masterpiece because it broke physics. It forced you to wrap your head around spherical walking and inverted perspectives. When Odyssey was first revealed, fans expected a return to the open-ended style of Super Mario 64. And we got that. But once you actually get your hands on the controller, the "Galaxy" influence starts screaming at you from every corner of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Look at the moon. Literally.
The Power Moons in Odyssey serve the same dopamine-hit function as the Star Bits and Power Stars of the past, but the sheer density is different. In Galaxy, you were on a rail toward a specific goal. In Odyssey, the world is a sponge, and you’re just trying to squeeze every drop out of it. However, the 2D segments found on the walls of the Sand Kingdom or the Metro Kingdom are a direct evolution of the gravity-flipping 2D planes in the Comet Observatory era. It’s a callback that feels less like nostalgia and more like a refined toolset.
That Specific "Galaxy" Feeling
Remember the feeling of launching from a Pull Star? That weightlessness? You find it in Odyssey every time you use a spark pylon to zip across a gap. The transition from solid 3D platforming to a streamlined, cinematic movement path is a classic Galaxy trope. It’s about maintaining momentum.
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Nintendo EPD, the team behind these games, didn’t just wake up and decide to make a sequel to 64. They took the precision of Galaxy—the way Mario feels like he’s actually "gripping" the ground—and applied it to wider spaces. Honestly, if you strip away the hats and the T-Rex captures, the core platforming challenges in the "Darker Side" of the Moon feel like they could have been a "Purple Coin" challenge from 2007.
Super Mario Odyssey - A Galaxy Story and the Evolution of the "Small World"
In Galaxy, the worlds were tiny. You’d run around a planetoid in six seconds. It was brilliant because it kept the pace lightning-fast. Odyssey does the opposite—it gives you massive, sprawling maps like the Wooded Kingdom. But here’s the trick: those massive maps are actually just clusters of "Galaxy-sized" ideas.
Think about it.
Each sub-area in Odyssey, like a hidden pipe or a rocket ship level, is a self-contained, linear challenge. These are essentially mini-Galaxy levels. They strip away the sandbox, give you a specific mechanic (like disappearing floors or wind gusts), and tell you to get to the end. This is the secret to why the game doesn't feel overwhelming despite having nearly 900 moons. It’s a collection of short stories.
The Capture Mechanic vs. The Power-Up
In the old days, Mario needed a Bee Mushroom or a Boo Mushroom. These were binary. You had the power, or you didn't. Cappy changed the "Galaxy Story" by making the environment the power-up. Instead of finding a fire flower, you become the Fire Bro. It’s a more fluid version of the transformation mechanic that Galaxy experimented with.
- The Frog: High jumps, reminiscent of the Spring Mushroom but actually controllable.
- The Gushen: Water-based flight that feels like a polished version of the Hover Nozzle or the various flight stars.
- Pokio: The bird in Bowser's Kingdom that lets you flick yourself up walls—classic physics-based platforming that wouldn't look out of place in the Honeyhop Galaxy.
Why We Still Compare the Two
Critics often argue about which game is "better." It’s a bit of a silly debate because they’re trying to do different things. Galaxy was about the spectacle of the journey. Odyssey is about the joy of the playground. But the reason Super Mario Odyssey - A Galaxy Story remains a hot topic in gaming forums is that Odyssey represents the first time Nintendo successfully merged the "Sandbox" (64/Sunshine) and the "Linear" (Galaxy/3D World) styles.
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It’s the "Great Unification" of Mario.
Koichi Hayashida, who directed Super Mario Galaxy 2 and co-directed Odyssey, has spoken in various interviews about the "compactness" of level design. He’s a master of the four-step design philosophy: Introduce a mechanic, develop it, add a twist, and then move on. You see this everywhere in Odyssey. The game never lingers on one idea for too long, just like the rapid-fire planet-hopping of the Wii years.
The Music Connection
You can't talk about the "Galaxy" vibe without mentioning Mahito Yokota. While Naoto Kubo handled much of the Odyssey score, the orchestral sweep of the Cloud Kingdom or the grandiosity of the Moon levels bears the symphonic fingerprints of the Galaxy era. It’s that sense of scale. When you’re jumping across the vacuum of space toward the Wedding Hall, the music isn't just background noise; it's a narrative tool. It tells you that this is a "Galaxy" moment.
Real Talk: The Stuff Most People Miss
A lot of players breeze through the main story and think they’ve seen it all. They haven't. The true Super Mario Odyssey - A Galaxy Story doesn't even start until the credits roll. Once you unlock the Mushroom Kingdom and start finding those "Remix" moons, the game stops holding your hand.
The difficulty spike in the post-game is a direct nod to the "Perfect Run" in Galaxy 2. It’s Nintendo saying, "Okay, you’ve played around in the sandbox. Now let’s see if you can actually platform."
- The "Vanishing Road" challenges require frame-perfect triple jumps.
- The "Long Journey's End" is a marathon of every mechanic you've learned.
- The low-gravity segments on the Moon are a literal mechanical port of Galaxy's physics engine.
It’s interesting how many people forget that Galaxy was originally criticized by some for being "too easy" until they hit the late-game content. Odyssey follows that exact curve. It lures you in with a cute hat and a singing mayor, then hits you with some of the most demanding 3D movement challenges in the series' history.
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The Verdict on the Legacy
Is Odyssey a better "Galaxy" game than Galaxy itself? Probably not. Galaxy has a focused, atmospheric loneliness that Odyssey trades for a vibrant, busy energy. But Odyssey is the better game. It gives the player agency. In Galaxy, you are a passenger on a brilliant ride. In Odyssey, you are the driver.
That shift in perspective is what defines this era of Nintendo. They aren't just making sequels; they're making repositories. Odyssey is a museum of everything that worked in the 3D Mario lineage.
Actionable Tips for New (and Returning) Players
If you're jumping back into Odyssey to find that Galaxy spark, here is how to maximize the experience:
- Master the Roll-Jump: In Galaxy, the spin was your "get out of jail free" card. In Odyssey, the roll is your speed engine. Practice shaking the controller (or hitting the button) to maintain a roll down hills, then jumping at the last second. It’s the fastest way to travel and changes how you see the terrain.
- Ignore the Main Path: The "Galaxy Story" is hidden in the pipes. If you see a gray chimney or a weirdly placed door, go in. These are the handcrafted, linear levels where the design is at its tightest.
- Play with Motion Controls (Sometimes): I know, I know. Pro Controllers are better. But some of Mario's "Galaxy-esque" moves, like the homing cap throw or the upward flick, are significantly easier with a quick shake of the Joy-Cons. It’s how the game was tuned.
- Don't Rush to the Next Kingdom: Stay in a world until you feel like you've broken it. Find the Moons that aren't on the map. The "Hint Toad" is okay, but exploring the verticality of the maps—looking up, always looking up—is where the real magic happens.
Nintendo hasn't announced a Super Mario Galaxy 3. They might never. But as long as they keep building games like Odyssey, they don't really need to. The story of the Galaxy isn't over; it just moved into a bigger neighborhood. You just have to be willing to look past the hat to see the stars.
The next step is simple. Fire up the Switch. Head to the Moon Kingdom. Turn off the map. Just run. You’ll feel that familiar gravity soon enough.