Super Mario Galaxy hits Wii U Virtual Console on Christmas Eve

Nintendo is bringing back one of its best games ever to help you celebrate the holidays.

Super Mario Galaxy is coming to the Wii U Virtual Console, according to Nintendo’s website. The Wii 3D platforming classic will debut as a download for Wii U tomorrow, and it will sell for $20. This will introduce all of the beloved game’s gravitational and planetoid action to Nintendo’s latest system. This also means that you can play Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Mario 3D World all on the same console. The only 3D core Mario games missing from the Wii U at this point are Super Mario Sunshine for GameCube and Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS.

For an idea of what Super Mario Galaxy will look like on Wii U, you can check out a video we made for Super Mario Galaxy 2 when Nintendo released that game for the Wii U eShop in January.

Super Mario Galaxy is special because it was a pinnacle of bold 3D design and was more varied than you would ever expect from a platformer. Nintendo built on Super Mario 64 by taking that gameplay and making it more complex while making the camera controls simpler. It accomplished that by taking the Italian plumber to space to hop around tiny, spherical platforms that made it easier for the player to keep their eye on the world. But this also enabled Nintendo to play around with jumping from one tiny planet to another.

As for variety, it felt like Nintendo never stopped throwing new stuff at the player. That includes one level where you fly around as a bee, another where you skate on ice, and yet another where you play as a ghost. Then you have another where Mario turns into a spring, a bonus stage where you ride on a manta ray, and one where Mario transforms into a ball that you guide through a maze.

All of that, combined with Nintendo’s gorgeous art and beautiful music, made for a game that I can’t wait to download as soon as it goes live.