Super Mario Galaxy: Two Player Mode

Right now, my brother is going through Super Mario Galaxy. Since I like cooperative games and I would be watching him go through the game regardless, I decided to try out the two-player mode in that game.

The two-player mode in Super Mario Galaxy is an interesting novelty. It is very different than the alternating cooperative/competitive gameplay of the much older Super Mario games, and is a very refreshing change from not having any multiplayer support in the previous 3D games. The only other game with a cooperative multiplayer mode that really compares to it is Rare's old Jet Force Gemini for the N64. It is rare to have a multiplayer mode in which one player has a completely secondary role to that of the other player. While other games may limit the control options for any player other than the first (such as multiplayer RPGs), this is usually only for certain sections (such as movement between battles) and all players will have equal control over the game during other times.

Having one player be simply play a supporting role has a number of advantages. It removes the need to have two autonomous characters running around at the same time (which can be very hard to implement well, especially in 3D games). It makes it easier to simply add a multiplayer mode onto an existing single player mode, without resorting to the old system of alternating play. It also is a way of rewarding cooperative play by giving a slight increase in the character's ability; two players can do more with one character than a single player can.

Still, this implementation of cooperative games has a major drawback: it can be hard to make it fun for the second player. If the support role is not interesting, or feels redundant, then it becomes just a chore for the second player, and the value of having a cooperative mode is lost.

Overall, the way cooperative multiplayer works in Super Mario Galaxy in particular is imperfect. The second player functions as a hand to grab and throw Star Bits, and can also make Mario jump or spin midair. The biggest problem is that, despite the fact that the floating hand is the most important part of the second player's abilities, the first player still has that full potential at the same time. What is more, the first player can grab pull-stars, shoot Mario with those sticky pod things, and feed Lumas with his floating hand, as well as a few other things, but these options are unavailable to the second player. Rather than being essential, the second player is mostly redundant even in the cooperative mode, simply because the first player never has to depend on the second player to do something. It would be much better if the second player had full control of the floating pointer with no control over Mario, and the first player had full control of Mario with no control over the floating pointer. That situation would make the second player feel more useful, and make his role more consistent.

On a side note, I don't particularly like the feature of letting Mario jump higher if both players make him jump at once, simply because coordinating two people to do something at the same time is nearly impossible, especially in a pinch. The first player is better off just doing a backwards somersault or triple jump, rather than try to pull off such tricky timing. On the other hand, just having a second pointer on the screen is a great tool for trying to point out something that the first player didn't see, or to help point out a direction to go, which has often been difficult to do with words alone, so I approve of that feature.

I have had a lot of fun playing the game with my brother, but a lot of my fun with the game is because my brother voluntarily leaves a lot of things to me that he could do on his own otherwise.

Power-Ups: Limited Use vs. Free Use

One thing I have been noticing about Super Mario Galaxy, and to bit less of an extent its predecessor Super Mario 64, have a significant departure from the old 2D Mario games in terms of how power-ups work. In the old Super Mario Bros. games, power-ups are what I will call "free-use". Most of the major power-ups, such as the Power Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Feather, appear all over the game. Any given stage might have them, and the player can keep these power-ups indefinitely as long as Mario isn't hurt, and between stages. On the other hand, Super Mario Galaxy uses a set-up that I will call "Limited-Use". In Galaxy, power-ups are only found directly next to places where you need to use the power-up to progress, and cannot be carried on to other stages. Of course, these terms are a simplification of a much larger number of possibilities. Free-Use power ups can also refer to powers or weapons in a game that the player can use at any time or anywhere, while Limited-Use can also refer to powers that can only be used at specific locations.

The advantage of Limited Use power-ups is that it gives the level designer the ability to have almost unlimited control over how the player approaches a stage. For example, the game gives the player the ability to fly using a certain power-up. Flight is always an extremely powerful ability. If a player is allowed to fly at any point in the game, it might become possible for the player to bypass most obstacles or even reach places where the designers didn't want him to reach. However, if the player can only fly by collecting a certain item that appears in a specific place and limiting how long the player can use the power, then the designers can prevent the power from becoming a problem. Movement powers such as high jumps or flight tend to be the most common examples of powers that are limited.

However, while the design philosophy of Limited Use has its uses, I have never liked it that much. First off, if most powers in a game are designed to be Limited-Use, then it often becomes obvious as soon as the pertinent power-up appears that you need that power in order to progress through the stage. For example, if you find a flight pad and Red Feathers in Banjo-Kazooie, you obviously need to fly (usually along a route that has Red Feathers) in order to get to your objective. While this can be a useful tool for helping players along in easy games, it can be very predictable. I find it boring stage design myself. In some cases, such as the use of limiting abilities such that they can only be used on specific pads, it can become intrusive to the game and obnoxious.

The greater problem with Limited-Use is that it prevents the player from having fun just paying around with powers. Sometimes it is just fun to be able to play around with an ability, or to use it in unexpected areas to see if you can find something unexpected of hidden. Often, when there are powers that are limited use, the game designers won't make them usable except in places where they are essential to complete a task. However, this means that designers will often to forget to give the player access to some abilities most of the time. For example, Fire Flowers are apparently a very rare thing in Super Mario Galaxy. However, they would not cause any problems in the form of letting the player get into places he should not be, nor would it upset the difficulty of the game too much. Their rareness is inexplicable, and is a bit of a lost opportunity.

The reason I prefer Free Use design is that it opens up the possibility of the player having more than one way through an area. For example, say that a certain power-up can be found in Stage A, but not in stage B. If the player can manage to not lose the power-up after clearing Stage A, he might be able to find a short-cut or hidden reward in Stage B using it. In this sense, Free Use design opens up more design space and rewards the player for playing around with an items powers in various areas. There are actually quite a few examples of this in various Super Mario Bros. games. 

While Limited Use does make design work easier, I think Free Use creates a more rewarding game experience. While it is easier for the designer if you don't have to worry about a player jumping or flying over a wall you don't want him to cross, there are always ways to solve these problems without eliminating the freedom of the player.