Still, the story is but a vehicle for the gameplay, and the fact remains that Galaxy has the best 3D platforming of any game, ever. The gravity effects seen at E3 felt to me like they may just be a gimmick that would wear off quickly, but what Nintendo has managed to do with them is nothing short of extraordinary. The creativity present in each level is boundless, and just when you think they’re all out of ideas, you’re wrong. For the first time, it really feels like the cleverness of the old-school 2D Mario platformers has fully transitioned to 3D, a feat that no game I have played before has accomplished.

The level design in Galaxy is really something to behold; the notion of traveling from galaxy to galaxy, as opposed to having one unified world, allowed for the developers to make galaxies of all shapes, sizes, and themes, and it works. While you have a collection of miniature planets with their own gravity effects in some galaxies, other galaxies will be fully-functional, enclosed planets of their own; while they might not be as large and exploratory as some of the levels from Super Mario 64, they’ll still satisfy. In the same vein, some worlds will present you with a very straightforward path of where to go, but it never feels claustrophobic, and it’s always fresh. Other worlds leave you to explore and solve some sort of puzzle in order to advance, but you’re never left scratching your head annoyed. Some galaxies have only one or two stars, while many others will have up to six, and goals can change depending on whether there’s a secret to be found, or whether or not a certain comet is orbiting that galaxy. The variety is truly mind-boggling. Not to mention the main hub is well designed as well, especially due to the fact that it’s much smaller than in the previous two games, and you can get from point A to point B with less hassle.