This article contains spoilers for Mario Galaxy. Read at your own discretion.

It also contains spoilers for Mario 3D World, but that’s not as important.

After an extremely prolonged argument with a friend (which is still ongoing), I figured the only way to settle this important matter was to write an article accumulating all my research and (correct) opinions for the whole world to see. Hopefully, my friend will now be too embarrassed to ever utter the words “Super Mario 3D World” from his mouth when asked what the best Mario game is.

Of course, I will give Mario 3D World credit where it is due. I’m not saying it’s not fun; it’s a nice game. But, compared to Mario Galaxy, 3D World is not as groundbreaking, unique for its time, and overall, a masterpiece of a game.

In 2007, the video game industry saw a massive boom, especially for Nintendo. Games such as Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and Super Paper Mario had all been released earlier in the year. For its time, Mario Galaxy was a massive shift from the traditional 2D scroller-platformer type of game that Mario games tended to be. Now, yes, it had its predecessors: Super Mario 64 in 1996 and Super Mario Sunshine in 2002. I will acknowledge that it is not unique simply in the fact that it is 3D. However, it was the third 3D Mario game to ever be released (not counting the DS re-release of 64). The jump in graphics and controls from Sunshine to Galaxy was astounding, given that the two games were released almost just 5 years apart.

Mario Galaxy was also one of the first Mario games to combine 2D and 3D platforming smoothly, serving as a predecessor for more complicated and groundbreaking games such as Super Mario Odyssey. Now, in comparison to Mario 3D World, this is a big deal. 3D World’s 3-dimensional predecessors were Galaxy 2 and 3D Land. Mario 3D World is also a 3D game, but draws similar inspiration from the 2D games in aspects such as the world selection screen and select levels. Other than that, it is mainly three-dimensional.

3D World simply cannot compare to Mario Galaxy in terms of historical significance in the video game industry. Sure, we can have Mario turn into a cat, but other than that, what noteworthy, groundbreaking thing has been brought to the table with this game?

(And also, I wonder why it was featured in a set with Bowser’s Fury instead of being included in another “old” Mario game set or even as a standalone rerelease…Were they worried players wouldn’t buy a copy of it for newer consoles because it wasn’t relevant enough in comparison to other standalone or “bundles” of rereleased games? Makes sense, given that players may get bored with the monotony of Bowser’s Fury and decide to play a similarly subpar game in the same sitting.)

A counterargument that my opponent may pose is that the power-ups in Galaxy are subpar. However, Galaxy’s gameplay is not as reliant on power-ups as 3D World’s is. Sure, some of the controls are a bit weird for the spring and bee mushrooms, but they serve as a challenge at times rather than being power-ups there for the sake of overpowering Mario (or Luigi). Also, with Galaxy, we got the ice flower, which lets you ice skate and freeze water under your feet. Cat Mario in 3D World is just a glorified reskin of Tanuki Mario; it has a close-range scratch attack that is akin to Tanuki Mario’s tail whip and the ability to move slightly quicker. The only major difference is that you can climb taller walls with cat Mario. While in 3D World, power-ups make levels easier to complete, in Galaxy, they’re only present in the level if you need them to be able to complete the level. (Except for 1-Ups and Life Mushrooms. Those aren’t power-ups, though.)

Although my opposition may roll his eyes at my next main point, part of the acclaim for Galaxy comes from its soundtrack. Galaxy was the first instance in which Nintendo used full, high-quality orchestral backing for their soundtrack, and given the whole grand, cosmic theme of the game, it was extremely fitting, and each theme in and of itself is a beautiful masterpiece. I will not be explaining this further and will let the music speak for itself. You can say “but… but… Mario 3D World has better powerups-” but the music DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR OPINION. 

(Nor will your opinion change the insignificant 3D World soundtrack.)

Here are my top three favourite themes from the Galaxy OST in comparison to my top three favourite themes from the 3D World OST. 

Battlerock theme:

Purple comet theme: 

(A remake of this track was also featured in Mario Kart World, so this only corroborates my point that Galaxy is still culturally [and musically] relevant.) 

Melty Molten theme:

(Honourable mention to Galaxy’s Comet Observatory Theme as well.)  

vs.

Hisstocrat:

Sure… It’s jazzy… but what the heck is that synth at 00:38!? 

Super Bell Hill theme (the only memorable one, in my opinion): 

Nice, but gets boring after hearing it loop for the third time, though.

World 5 theme 

This is just boring.

Even for the music that doesn’t have a full orchestra backing in Galaxy, at least it sounds good and is memorable!

Luma Theme:

(If this melody does not bring a tear to your eye and you completed the Galaxy, I have a hunch that you’re not even a true gamer.)

Freezeflame Ice Theme:

And don’t even get me started on boss fight themes…

Final battle theme in Galaxy:

Final battle 2nd phase theme in 3D World: 

(at the end, yes, it is orchestral, but it is by no means as powerful as Galaxy’s final boss theme.)

One may argue that music is subjective, but music plays a big role in setting the tone of a game. The big orchestral music that plays in the background of Galaxy for the majority of the game is befitting of a game about saving the universe from a big, evil turtle thing. I don’t really know what Super Mario 3D World’s OST is supposed to evoke in the game. You’re trying to save some fairy princesses that got scattered around the world. What better music to play than some jazz, I guess?

(Ohhh wait, jazz cats. Get it? Still has NOTHING to do with saving fairy princesses in a magical land, though.)

Speaking of fairy princesses, again, I will give Mario 3D World credit where it is due. I applaud that, for once, the plot does not primarily revolve around saving Peach, and incredibly, you can even play as Peach if you want to. However, the plot in its entirety of Galaxy evolves into more than just saving Peach over the course of the game, altering the overall Mario franchise. The Mario universe gains a valuable character that has appeared in future games, that being Rosalina. We have a third, relevant, and unique “princess” (if she can even be called that; there is some speculation that she may be related to Peach, but it is not canon.). In comparison to Peach, who is the stereotypical “damsel-in-distress” character (although Nintendo has been increasingly trying to peel that stereotype off of her), and Daisy, the more spunky and independent of the two earthly princesses, Rosalina serves as a mysterious, all-knowing, motherly figure with a sad backstory.

What even is the point of the Sprixie princesses other than an excuse to have another multiplayer Mario game? Do they ever repeatedly show up as major, playable characters in future games? And no, support spirits in Smash Bros do not count (but you can play as Rosalina and a Luma!). Maybe you can play as one of them in Mario Tennis, but you can also play as a Luma and Rosalina too…

Oh, wait, you can even play as Rosalina in 3D World if you beat World Star-2!

Heck, even Captain Toad, who is featured in 3D World as a character and has his own game, debuted in Mario Galaxy!

Anyways, back to my main point on the plot. This may be a stretch, but in comparison to other Mario games, we receive a rather emotional and bittersweet ending to the main plot. Bowser tries to take over the universe, but upon defeat, a supermassive black hole forms, sucking everything in the universe into oblivion. The Lumas who have helped you on your journey sacrifice themselves, jumping into the black hole and preventing the destruction of reality as you know it. Although they presumably die, the cries of newborn galaxies and stars can be heard before the credits roll. Isn’t that beautiful!?

In comparison to this, Mario 3D World’s ending is literally a snoozefest. 

You battle Meowser, aka cat Bowser, and you free the little fairy princesses.

Boom shakalaka, end of plotline.

(Champion’s Road does not count as “plot.” It’s just there as a challenge.)

Both games also have rewards for players who 100% the game. In Galaxy, this means collecting 120 stars, unlocking Luigi, and recollecting the 120 stars as Luigi, along with fighting a boss one more time. Then, you are transported to the “Grand Finale”, or the Star Festival at which you began the game, and you are awarded the 121st star. Although 100%-ing the game is brutal, this homage to the beginning of the game signifies a full circle from where you began as a player of this Mario game. It is 100% worth it, no pun intended.

In comparison, 100%-ing 3D World is even more of a pain in the butt. Excuse my language. To TRULY 100% 3D World, you must get every single green star and every stamp, AND reach the top of EVERY flagpole with EVERY character. Yep! Including Champion’s Road! Only after this will you receive specific stamps that warrant true completion.

I may love completing games to the max, but I am no masochist.

If none of the points above are enough to persuade you, then perhaps these next facts will. (Well, if you are a stats and accolades kind of person. I know that for my opponent, this will not matter, as he is just as stubborn about 3D World as I am about Galaxy, but in the end, all that matters is that I persuade you, the reader, that his opinion is garbage.)

Overall rating on Metacritic:

Galaxy: 97%

3D World: 93%

(pretty close, pretty close, but Galaxy still is a bit higher rated)

Mario Galaxy is the 4th highest-rated game on Metacritic.

Awards won:

I copy pasted this directly from the “accolades” section of the Wikipedia page for Galaxy, as there are simply too many awards and nominations to list. I have bolded some notable wins.

“Super Mario Galaxy received Game of the Year 2007 awards from IGN, GameSpot, Nintendo Power, Kotaku, and Yahoo! Games. The game was also perceived as the highest-ranking title in 2007 according to the review aggregator GameRankings. In February 2008, Super Mario Galaxy received the “Adventure Game of the Year” award during the AIAS 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; it also received nominations for “Overall Game of the Year”, “Console Game of the Year”, “Outstanding Achievement in Game Design”, “Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering” and “Outstanding Innovation in Gaming”. Super Mario Galaxy placed third in the Official Nintendo Magazine’s “100 greatest Nintendo games of all time” list. In 2009, the game won the “Game of the Year” BAFTA at the 5th British Academy Games Awards, surpassing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and becoming the first Nintendo game to win this award, whilst in the same year, Super Mario Galaxy was named the number one Wii game by IGN. It was also named by Eurogamer and IGN as the “Game of the Generation”. In 2015, the game placed 11th on USgamer’s “15 Best Games Since 2000” list. Guinness World Records ranked Super Mario Galaxy 29th in their list of top 50 console games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy. In their final issue, the Official Nintendo Magazine ranked Super Mario Galaxy as the greatest Nintendo game of all time. The soundtrack also won the “Best Design in Audio” award from Edge”.

There will also be a Mario Galaxy movie released this year.

3D World: 

The Super Mario 3D World Wikipedia page does not have a coherent accolades section, so I have manually typed out the majority of the significant wins. There are many more nominations, but if we are getting into the nitty-gritty, Galaxy had more nominations as well.

3D World won best multiplayer game at SXSW Gaming Awards in 2014, family game of the year at the 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, best 2013 family game at the NAVGTR awards, best Nintendo game of 2013 at Spike VGX, best overall platformer game, best Wii U game, best Wii U music, best Wii U Graphics, Best Wii U Platformer Game at IGN’s Best of 2013, and Game of the Year for Eurospy and Eurogamer.

Whether or not I’ve changed your mind, play whatever you wish. I am not the fun police.

(Just know that Mario 3D World will forever sulk in the shadow of Galaxy, no matter how many times you complete Champion’s Road.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Galaxy#Awards 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_3D_World#Accolades