Man, Nintendo is on a roll, a serious roll. Zelda, Mario Kart, Splatoon and now this, the best Mario game in years. 2017 is the year of Nintendo. And Super Mario Odyssey is the photo finish to prove it. If Breath of the Wild was a drastic rebirth for its series, then Odyssey is a beautiful return to form. A return to the wondrous toy boxes of Mario 64 and Sunshine (I enjoyed it ok. It’s fine to like it), after the more controlled and streamlined Wii and Wii U entries. Each world in Odyssey is filled with weird and wonderful things to do, all in the search for Moons. These moons are much much more plentiful than Mario 64’s stars and around every corner there is a to get one, hidden behind a simple platforming challenge or by helping a distressed denizen of the world. It’s this change that makes Odyssey feel so creative, as your time and experimentation is always rewarded. Nintendo has filled these world’s to the brim things to do, ranging from very simple to true Mario platforming challenges. At times it feels like there are moons placed every two seconds in the worlds but luckily nearly all of them are fun to get. Never mind that this is the weirdest Mario game Nintendo has ever created. There’s a New York-inspired city that’s filled with humans who don’t look like Mario?! A world filled with sentient forks who are expert cooks, with a visual style that Nintendo HAS to use in a full game. I haven’t seen something that’s so inspired me in a long time. And not to mention the game features one of the coolest video game dogs ever, the best character of the year in my book. Odyssey feels like Nintendo’s designers were allowed to be as creative as possible, nothing was too weird or too out there and it makes for a game that is just joyous to play.
All this focus on weird and wonderful worlds hasn’t meant that Nintendo dropped the ball when it comes to the gameplay. Mario runs and jumps as smooth and satisfying as always, with some new additions that change up the formula. The biggest addition is Cappy, Mario’s iconic red cap is now a living being that he can use to ‘capture’ other creatures and take control of them. Yes, this feature is as bizarre as it sounds, and the cutscene that plays the first time is an existential nightmare. But let’s ignore that and focus on how cool it is to control a goomba, complete with a Mario hat and moustache! The range of things you can control is as fun and creative as the rest of the game. And truly gives the game a distinct feeling that sets it apart from its 3D predecessors.
Nintendo has also changed the Mario formula in the length and the structure of the game. Unlike previous games, you can breeze through the main game with relative ease. This works in the game’s favour as it allows the harder challenges to be hidden, adding an extra layer of reward. And if the game really is truly easy for you, please just wait until you beat the story once. Every world adds brand new challenges and entirely new worlds become objectives to unlock. With Nintendo using these post-game areas to create some of the most fiendishly challenging Mario levels ever devised. Trust me, you will no longer have the feeling Odyssey is too easy once you hit these areas.
With Mario Odyssey, Nintendo has managed to deliver one of the best Mario and video games in years. Creating a vibrant and beautiful world filled with mechanically excellent things to do. It seems to be very fitting that one of the best years in Nintendo’s existence, is closed out with one of the best Mario games. The favourite child done good.
