Game music of the day: Super Mario Galaxy 2

Features
By published

GR's ongoing tribute to the beloved world of game music

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2

Song: Main Theme/Sky Station Galaxy 1


Above: Main Theme/Sky Station Galaxy 1 from Super Mario Galaxy 2

I could easily write all day about how inventive, gorgeous, exhilarating, and above all fun Super Mario Galaxy 2 is, but I already did that once when Ireviewed it and gave it the 10it so righteously deserved. But now that most of you have no doubt played it, you%26rsquo;d agree it%26rsquo;s a pretty badass game, right? I still feel a tad bitter that my co-workers voted Galaxy 2 onlythe second best game of 2010 so far(history shall prove me right!). Obviously the soundtrack was a big part of its magnificence, with bold new tracks and classic songs rearranged. The main theme was probably my favorite of the whole game, a boisterous, exciting track to prepare you for the celebration of pure Mario-ness to come. Just hearing it makes me want to boot-up the game all over again and chase after some of those last stars.

In some interviews around the game%26rsquo;s launch, Galaxy 2%26rsquo;s music heads Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota talked about how they originally planned on a more scaled back soundtrack that mostly reused songs from the first Galaxy. But as the planned Galaxy 1.5 ballooned with new ideas, the team realized the game would need tons of new music to back it up. They wanted songs like the theme to reflect the new changes, with a bigger, peppier theme than the first game. At first they were reticent to return to the difficulties involved in an orchestral soundtrack, but executive producer Shigeru Miyamoto felt that after an orchestra was used in the first game, fans would settle for nothing less. Here%26rsquo;s a video I stumbled upon of the theme being recorded.

It%26rsquo;s such a great song that fills you with excitement and prepares you for all the great tracks to come. And when you finally complete the game and see the credits, the tune is reprised, making it a wonderful bookend for such a brilliant experience, which makes that track a fitting close to this article.

Sep 30, 2010


Field by Jon Holland


Even Rats by The Slip, one of Harmonix's fave local bands


Ragnarok Canyon by David Wise

Henry Gilbert
Henry Gilbert

Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts.