Almost a year after the release of Mario Odyssey, I finally picked up a Nintendo Switch and jumped on Super Mario 64’s spiritual successor (a phrase said to me by another reviewer which so perfectly describes this).
The expectation was very high, though not being the biggest Nintendo fan I guess you could say there was a lot of room for me to be impressed, and I was.
The story is as basic as almost every other Mario game, though with a few key differences to keep it interesting. Bowser steals Peach, there is a not at all creepy wedding being forced upon her and you must save her with the help of a new magic hat, nothing out of the ordinary for the Italian plumber.
The hat (Cappy) allows you to control most living things you throw it at, dinosaurs and Bullet Bills included, while also allowing for much more unique movement and combat than previously in Mario titles.
Other than the mind controlling headwear, most of the movement and gameplay is fairly stock standard for Mario, platforming through a variety of levels full to the brim with fun collectables, mini games and enemies.
Super Mario Odyssey seamlessly brings together the loveable aspects of all prior Mario titles, with core 3D gameplay of Super Mario 64 and Galaxy being the base to weave in even 2D Mario Bros segments. Collectables have been tweaked slightly, the classic stars have been replaced with moons, special purple coins have been added as an additional currency as well as the normal gold coins. This might seem like a lot of collectables, and believe me – it is.
With over 900 total moons available to find, buy in stores and access in post game content there is NO shortage of them to find, yet somehow you never lose the constant feeling of reward.
Especially in games inclusive of a young audience, there’s a thin line between rewarding the player and games feeling too easy. The magic of this game is the varying levels of complexity in the locations of the collectables, this never makes the game feel too easy and certainly never simply too hard for a less experienced player. I will admit, even as a grown adult with plenty of 3D platformer experience, it was incredibly daunting to spend 4 hours on a level and find out I had less than half the moons of that area. I can imagine a less adept player would feel completely disheartened by the sheer quantity of hard to find goals. Another problem with this many collectables is that though for the most part they are in interesting and unique locations, some can feel incredibly cheap, being almost impossible to find if you don’t use hints or guides.
Visually this game stands up to the bar that the stunning Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild set for the Switch’s figurehead titles. Odyssey is incredibly polished, even played on a 4k TV it keeps this quality and remains clean. The user interface for the game is pretty simple and clean, the first in game menu has only 5 options, the main one being the multiplayer. The second in game menu, however, holds the map and a lot of information on the sides. This second menu feels a little inconvenient when looking for a certain place or NPC location, on top of this the collectables list is also accessed through this same menu, which made it feel a little messy.
Each level has a distinct style, feel, and theme, from jungles to deserts and even hyperrealistic cities. The soundtrack of each level is perfect for the theme, incredibly dynamic and changes depending on which part of the area you explore. For example, Mariachi music on entering the Mexican inspired Sand Kingdom town, classic jungle music for Wooded Kingdom (Donkey Kong Country-esque), even gritty urban transitioning to smooth jazz for Metro Kingdom, giving a living feel to the world itself. Key mechanics emphasise the individuality of each location, whether it is climbing tall jungle trees or riding a Sphinx statue to get from location to location.
The design of the varying locations really shines when exploring each area, being very open and free for players to explore. Each environment allows for freedom but is very clear about the direction of the level. It’s common to get lost in most open world games and this is usually prevented with a mini map and marker. Instead, in Odyssey the level design itself is always used to let you know where you should be going. Though free to explore as you please, the progressive direction of the level is clearly marked either with collectables or vertical movement. What is impressive about this level design is that upon reflection I realise how easily the levels abuse our natural instinct to climb towards our goal.
A week ago I never would have thought I’d be suggesting to someone to buy the new Mario game but objectively, it’s one of the best games to come out last year.
At it’s core Super Mario Odyssey just an incredibly fun experience, packed full of content and collectable excitement. HowLongToBeat puts the main story time around 12 hours and the story plus extra at 25 hours, though any casual play through will last WAY longer than that.
If you don’t have a switch, maybe wait for more titles but if you like Mario or 3D platformers in any way then it is worth buying the console for, especially with Christmas sales not too far away!
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