Seeing as this is a direct sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2's gameplay has much in common with the previous game. Some of the standouts include Throwback Galaxy, Melty Monster Galaxy, Cloudy Court Galaxy, Slider, and the Main Theme. Mahito Yokota once again returns as the composer for the game, and he brings the same excellent quality as before. Super Mario Galaxy 2's soundtrack instead decides to tackle a more energetic direction that complements the changes made to the visuals. Super Mario Galaxy's soundtrack emphasized the epic scope of the outer space setting. The music also takes a different direction compared to the first game, while still being of similar quality. But this change allows Super Mario Galaxy 2 to stand out from its predecessor. Whether or not this change was an improvement or not is a matter of preference. With the blue skies, in particular, becoming a common sight. This change results in Super Mario Galaxy 2 feeling even more like a regular Mario game. Super Mario Galaxy 2, in contrast, has a greater variety of level aesthetics that put a greater emphasis on brighter colors. While Super Mario Galaxy had its fair share of colorful levels, most of the game features a darker color palette to convey the outer space setting. But with a clear difference in the overall aesthetic.

The game's visuals, on the whole, are mostly unchanged from the first game. Thankfully, Super Mario Galaxy 2 still has the fantastic graphics and audio quality of the first game. So while this plot gets the job done, it is a little bit disappointing that the second game fails to create the same compelling atmosphere of the first game. But this is a Mario game, and the plot was never a focus in the first place. It lacks the epic scope that the first game had, feeling more like a standard Mario affair, which is a step backward from the fantastic execution of the first game.

But as I mentioned above, it is also simplified from Super Mario Galaxy's already simplified story. On the whole, this is the standard Mario plot as we know it. Mario is now the captain of his very own ship!

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