For as long as I’ve been a fan of video games, I have been a
fan of the Mario series. The first game I remember playing was Super Mario All
Stars on the SNES, playing through Super Mario Bros in particular more times
than I can think to remember – it’s by far my most completed game of all time. This
love traversed into the 3D era when I picked up Super Mario 64 back in 1997,
instantly falling in love with it.
I recently bought a Nintendo Switch, and I knew that one of the first games I was going to pick up was going to be the latest offering from the Mushroom Kingdom’s favourite plumber, so I hastily downloaded Super Mario Odyssey and cracked on.
I recently bought a Nintendo Switch, and I knew that one of the first games I was going to pick up was going to be the latest offering from the Mushroom Kingdom’s favourite plumber, so I hastily downloaded Super Mario Odyssey and cracked on.
To say this game is a love letter to the history of the
Mario franchise would be an understatement. It mixes all the game play
mechanics we have known and loved from previous 3D Marios, but introduces a
whole lot more besides.
As the game opens we are introduced to the first and most
important of these changes: Cappy. A living sentient hat who joins Mario on his quest, a
throw of the cap allows you to capture and inhabit a whole host of creatures.
From series favourites like the Goombas and Koopa Troopers, to far less
conventional options – a T Rex early in the game is a particular highlight, as
is a Christmas Tree in a later realm.
The level design too is gorgeous and incredibly varied. One minute you're in a huge desert, climbing through a ruined pyramid, and the next you're inhabiting a kingdom of living fork creatures (yes really) as you jump over a colourful array of fruit and vegetables - avoiding steaming hot tomatoes which turn into a molten tomato juice. Every inch has been meticulously crafted, and you can feel the love the Mario team have put into it.
No two worlds - or Kingdoms as this game calls them - are the same, and each have their own unique creatures and scenarios to master.
No two worlds - or Kingdoms as this game calls them - are the same, and each have their own unique creatures and scenarios to master.
As you explore you find yourself inhabiting more and more of
these as you try and discover new routes and new collectibles.
This too is one
of Odysseys big wins – the sheer amount there is to see and do. While you technically
only need a little over 120 Power Moons –
Odysseys version of Mario 64’s Power Stars - to “beat” the game and reach the final boss,
this is in reality barely an eighth of what the game actually has to offer.
After the credits roll there are still more than 700 moons to collect (and even several Kingdoms you haven’t yet seen). Again this feels like the Mario of old – without drawing too many comparisons to 64, that game too had multiple endings, with a final prize for anyone willing to draw out every star – the game is built with multiple players in mind.
After the credits roll there are still more than 700 moons to collect (and even several Kingdoms you haven’t yet seen). Again this feels like the Mario of old – without drawing too many comparisons to 64, that game too had multiple endings, with a final prize for anyone willing to draw out every star – the game is built with multiple players in mind.
For the casual gamer, or children playing the game, the “final
fight” with Bowser feels rewarding, and like a real end point. If that’s where
you stopped you wouldn’t feel at all cheated by the games length or its story,
and this is clearly a deliberate choice from the creators.
For the more hardcore gamer though this is arguably where
the game really begins. Everything which has come before is a mere prologue for
the game beyond, and the real quest to 999 Power Moons.
The Moons though aren’t the only place Odyssey shines. We
have suggested already that the game celebrates what has come before for the franchise, and this
isn’t just in its 3D history either.
There are sections of the game – accessed through classic Mario warp tunnels – where a 2D Mario sprite can play full 2D levels on the sides of walls – often allowing him to climb towers or sections which the 3D world would leave unreachable.
These are beautifully designed, and they really pay homage to those early NES and SNES Mario games I loved so much.
A nice easter egg is that each of Marios outfits in the game (and there are more than 40 complete Outfits) are translated into 2D sprites, so if you enter the warp tunnel in a particular outfit then Mario is still wearing that outfit in the 2D world.
It’s a tiny little detail – and something no one would have complained had they missed – but its this kind of attention to the little things which makes Odyssey such a joy.
Mario has had many great showings over the years, but this genuinely feels like a high point. Between Mario 64, Mario Sunshine, and the Galaxy series, the 3D hero has been through many iterations. Odyssey though feels like the franchise at its most complete. The sheer sprawling insanity of it is its greatest credit. Around every corner there is something new to explore and to discover. You could play for hours and hours and still not see a fraction of what there is to experience.
There are sections of the game – accessed through classic Mario warp tunnels – where a 2D Mario sprite can play full 2D levels on the sides of walls – often allowing him to climb towers or sections which the 3D world would leave unreachable.
These are beautifully designed, and they really pay homage to those early NES and SNES Mario games I loved so much.
A nice easter egg is that each of Marios outfits in the game (and there are more than 40 complete Outfits) are translated into 2D sprites, so if you enter the warp tunnel in a particular outfit then Mario is still wearing that outfit in the 2D world.
It’s a tiny little detail – and something no one would have complained had they missed – but its this kind of attention to the little things which makes Odyssey such a joy.
Mario has had many great showings over the years, but this genuinely feels like a high point. Between Mario 64, Mario Sunshine, and the Galaxy series, the 3D hero has been through many iterations. Odyssey though feels like the franchise at its most complete. The sheer sprawling insanity of it is its greatest credit. Around every corner there is something new to explore and to discover. You could play for hours and hours and still not see a fraction of what there is to experience.
Even now I’m close to 100%ing the game, and I can’t wait to
start all over, to discover new and faster routes through sections, and to
simply experience the joy all over again. This isn’t just the best Mario game
of all time, it’s one of the best games of all time.
