Players were caught off guard: at the latest Nintendo Direct, the company announced updated Super Mario Galaxy 1+2. Instead of a new story or continuation of previously started plots, fans will see a remaster of two iconic games.
One of the developers has already shown a comparison of the graphics, but the reaction to the material was mixed.
The updated edition will be noticeably different from the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection released in 2020. Now the games run in 4K, and in portable mode on Switch they are available in 1080p. Nintendo has reworked the textures and improved the rendering quality — the floor patterns and environment look modern, and outdated elements have been replaced with more detailed ones. Cutscenes, which used to be simply stretched from 480p, are now pre-recorded in widescreen and look more like a movie.
There are innovations in the gameplay. The new Assist Mode restores health, gives an extra life, and returns the character to the platform after a fall. In Super Mario Galaxy 1, new chapters have been added to Rosalina's book, and in the second part, a separate story and full access to the soundtrack are available directly from the menu — 72 tracks in Galaxy 2 and 82 in Galaxy 1.
Not everything has changed: some of the wall textures remain as in 3D All-Stars. But the overall level of processing shows that Nintendo was not limited to increasing the resolution, but tried to bring the classic games to modern standards.
The originals were released on Wii in 2007 and 2010 and are considered one of the best in the series for level design, music and the mechanics themselves. The remaster will go on sale on October 2, 2025 in the eShop for $69.99 — either as a set or separately.
