Super Mario Galaxy will soon make the jump to Wii U

By Danny Cowan Published December 14, 2015

Nintendo’s acclaimed 3D platformer Super Mario Galaxy is due to return as a downloadable title via the Wii U eShop, a recent ESRB ratings submission indicates (via Nintendo Life).

Super Mario Galaxy would join the eShop as Nintendo’s latest backward-compatible Wii game, following up on other recent releases like Kirby’s Return to Dreamland and Sin & Punishment: Star Successor.

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Released in 2007, Super Mario Galaxy expanded on gameplay concepts featured in previous titles starring Nintendo’s plumber mascot, and was structured similarly to landmark releases like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. Super Mario Galaxy finds Mario in outer space, where he meets the new character Rosalina and her family of Lumas.

Gameplay in Super Mario Galaxy revolves around gravitational pull, and Mario will need to travel between planetoids throughout each level. Nearby planets will automatically pull in Mario as he draws near, shifting series-standards gameplay mechanics dramatically.

Super Mario Galaxy also introduced a unique co-operative mode in which a second player takes control of an on-screen cursor using the Wii Remote. Players in control of the cursor can collect items and launch projectiles at on-screen enemies while Mario progresses through each level.

Super Mario Galaxy‘s sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, was one of the first Wii games to launch digitally via the Wii U eShop in January, arriving alongside other Wii re-releases like Punch-Out and Metroid Prime Trilogy. The Wii U eShop hosted infrequent Wii additions in the months afterward, including standouts like Trauma Team and Pandora’s Tower.

Nintendo’s Wii U features backward compatibility, allowing users to play their Wii discs on current-generation hardware. While all disc-based Wii games are compatible with the Wii U, individual titles must be re-certified by the ESRB before they can launch digitally via the eShop.

Nintendo has not announced a release date for the Wii U digital version of Super Mario Galaxy. Other digitally-released Wii games are available for $20 apiece via the Wii U eShop.

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