Although the popularity of platform games today is different from that of a time when all brands had their pets and colorful proposals, it is good to know that there are those who continue to bet the most on this genre, as in the case of Nintendo with Super Mario.
Mario is not only an icon with which many identify video games, it is important because although we have seen all kinds of games that involve the cute little mustache character of Nintendo, when thinking about platform games, we have had the Be careful that the result is not mediocre and that it does not happen the same as other pets like SEGA Sonic that has gone through very bitter phases.
When Mario first explored three-dimensional worlds, a golden page was written for the history of video games and the franchise. Super Mario 64 showed us that traveling three-dimensional worlds was much more than jumping between platforms and fueling our sense of exploration and knowing that many actions in their scenarios could leave us a reward.
This year we saw how The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild returned to the origins of the series conceived as a garden in which you can lose yourself exploring your way; It seems to me that Super Mario Odyssey did the same to be the culmination of all the efforts with Mario in his three-dimensional games to return to the origins that are the source of the fun that has made him relevant for years. Just as the first time we ran against a turtle or delivered a baby penguin to get stars in Super Mario 64, the teams led by Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Motokura give us the redefinition of that kind of fun where the emotion that draws a smile in Your face is anywhere in the game.
Super Mario Odyssey is not only a monument to creativity within a genre, it is also a demonstration that a hybrid console that does not compete with the rest in matters of technological potency is capable of delivering a practically perfect result visually and in its presentation without neglecting the most important: the gameplay.
THE BEST TRIP OF YOUR LIFE WITH MARIO
I do not blame them if they were disconcerted when they saw Mario running next to skinny semi-realistic humans. I was surprised and afraid of this type of change, but after understanding the concept of the game, its presence in the new universe made sense.
As its name suggests, in Super Mario Odyssey the trip is one of the main concepts. Just as Super Mario Sunshine was the summer vacation adventure on an island paradise, Odyssey is a trip around the world; Mario leaves the comfort of the Mushroom Kingdom to go to lands never before seen where he will meet nice creatures and, incidentally, enjoy what we usually look for when we visit, like buying souvenirs.
Something interesting is that the scenarios take inspiration from real places to strengthen the feeling of traveling. You will find references to the city of New York in New Donk, to the Italian towns in the foothills of Vesuvius in the Kingdom of the Fogons, to Mexican towns in the Kingdom of Las Arenas and to the European Nordic places in the Kingdom of Ice, to put Some examples. The attention to detail is immense and is reinforced with an exquisite soundtrack that accentuates this relationship with real places; I'm not going to ruin the surprise by describing places, but I can say that very interesting surprises await you in experimental and even classic realms. All have an exquisite theming that is reflected even in the maps that are presented as tourist guides.
Super Mario Odyssey is a free approach game within the series, which means that rather than going from point "A" to "B" on one level you have an open space full of possibilities where you can pass tests in exchange for energilunas, such as it happened in Super Mario 64 with the stars. Something that I liked and that is revolutionary, even for the other Mario titles that have followed a similar format, is that the campaign is designed so that within freedom there is a common thread of a campaign that integrates exciting moments as part of that epic journey that never loses a pleasant rhythm; every time you reach the end of history in the worlds there is a transformation where the stage is prepared for many contents that give life to the game after overcoming the campaign.
Energilunas are the fuel used by the Odyssey (your ship) to travel; When you complete the minimum required by the campaign, you can continue making progress. I was pleased that there were occasions where the campaign gives you a choice between one world and another; Although in any case you will have to visit them all, I found that freedom of choice interesting.
The question is, will you get more than 500 energilunas and discover all their secrets? Prepare for hours and hours without boredom because the game does not waste a single second.
SURPRISES EVERYWHERE
When you get lost in Breath of the Wild something catches your attention, you approach and a mission of the Kologs emerges. The feeling is indescribable, gives you the impression that you are finding something that nobody else has seen and you feel very clever to decipher what you want to tell you a riddle.
Do not worry, there is no frustration. The game has the option of an assisted mode and, if you do not know what to do anymore, there are characters that give you clues of the places where the next energiluna could be, even the figures of your Amiibo collection can find its location. There is an invaluable feeling when you get carried away by the game and the subtle clues about what you have to do next; I mean to discover without help how to obtain an energiluna.
Since Super Mario 64 we knew that the stars were reward for much more than platform challenges or killing bosses, and this concept was taken to a level that exceeds our expectations. Again, the surprise is along the maps and best of all is that, unless you use the assisted mode or an excess of clues, the game never takes you by the hand, let you lose yourself and deduct the light clues auditory, visual and even sensitive with the HD Rumble of the Joy-Con to be the sole architect of your victory.
PERFECTION IN CONTROLS, VARIETY NEVER SEEN BEFORE
On a playable level, the title is as good as its exquisite presentation and character animation. As we all hope, the controls are precise and allow using few buttons to execute movements that we know of Mario since many deliveries in their three-dimensional games: jumps, somersaults, shakes, triple jump, jump on walls and even tracks. The interactions seem very simple, but combined and combined they offer the right variety for any good platform game.
Cappy is a new character who, in addition to accompanying Mario on his trip, converted into any type of hat he uses, is in charge of granting fresh mechanics. You can cast it to defeat enemies or reach coins. If you leave it fixed, you can jump on it and if you use the movement controls with a Joy-Con in each hand it is possible to make several types of launch: frontal, upwards and surrounding yourself.
In his story Mario has had a huge amount of power-ups that have given him skills; In this sense, Super Mario Odyssey feels like the most complete game and with more possibilities because you can control your enemies by capturing them with Cappy. Although some rivals or things have very simple interactions, there are more than 50 transformations, which means that the gameplay is always changing; Many of the riddles will require the use of the proper transformation to be solved and the battles against bosses depend a lot on this mechanics, which makes them the backbone of the delivery. Use of vehicles, shots, flight ... there are many mechanics that derive from it, I invite you to discover them and be surprised.
Some transformations are more used than others, but it is good that the constant is to refresh the gameplay. The design of levels works in synchrony with the mechanics that are derived from the use of Cappy, we can not fail to acclaim how well achieved each element of the scenarios is to encourage the inclusion of lots of things to do.
Another remarkable element that deserves special mention is the combination of two-dimensional and three-dimensional gameplay. Throughout your adventure you will find sections that have a gameplay and look that resembles Mario's classic on the NES; the interesting thing is that, more than a mere adornment for nostalgia, it has challenges that sometimes combine perfectly with 3D to offer a very strange mixture that works wonders. It is similar to what happened when The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds allowed you to make Link a painting that was transported on the walls, but with all the complexity of a Mario game. So you know what awaits you in these challenges, have you imagined the gravity mechanics of Super Mario Galaxy in a 2D Mario game? I will only say that you will be surprised by the design of the levels.
PERSEVERE, COLLECT AND BECOME A MASTER OF THE JUMPS
2525/5000
If you limit yourself to completing the game until you see the credits you are left with a good game, but you do not get the potential of the tremendous work that is Super Mario Odyssey. Being honest, the trip through the campaign has an adequate difficulty, but not so challenging, even the bosses come to feel a little weak, which could give you a wrong perspective of the game.
Just to put things in perspective: you can finish the game with just over 200 energilunas, which are less than half of those offered by the game, where are all the others?
Super Mario Odyssey has an excellent range of challenges that begins right after watching the credits roll. The transformation of each world for your free exploration once you have finished will leave you satisfied because there are many additional challenges that will make you return for hours and thus reach the true end of the game.
More difficult versions of all the bosses are only a fraction of the enormous potential that is released after finishing the campaign. If you are a lover of platform challenges you will have challenges where you are stripped of Cappy's abilities so that your jumps are the only thing that can take you to the goal. Believe me, there are challenges you will try again and again until a cry of emotion is released by the feeling of triumph.
From the campaign you will see some pictures scattered around the worlds that interconnect them and give you a clear idea that what you see up to the credits is a small fraction of what the game offers.
The "completists" players will have a real feast in this delivery that remembers the golden age of the collectathon. In addition to energilunas that reward your skills and deduction of riddles you will have to worry about collecting coins to buy clothes that only change your appearance, often with garments that pay tribute to the story of Mario.
Traditional coins are used to buy in any world, but each has purple coins that serve to unlock special costumes from each region, as well as stickers and objects that show that you explored them completely.
If all the above is not enough, we have great news for creative players who want to admire the enormous detail of the impressive worlds of Odyssey: the photography mode. This mode is easy to use, has a good amount of filters and allows you to see everything that maybe the action does not let you appreciate clearly. We want to see the shots that the community will achieve.
IN SUMMARY ... A TRUE MASTERPIECE
With its variety of gameplay and energilunas hidden everywhere, believe me: I had a hard time writing the review without going into details of specific transformations or missions that made me vibrate with emotion to not ruin the surprise. Super Mario Odyssey is one of those games that are written detailed guides to unravel all its secrets, is one of the adventures that generate the most tasty conversation among friends who are playing.
From the first minute you take the Joy-Con you realize that the most important thing is fun and that you can spend hours and hours playing and discovering the worlds.
Super Mario Odyssey is a classic that will be remembered as the greats of the old school, it is a monument to the creativity of those who laid the foundations for one of the purest genres of the industry, it is the joy of travel and the discovery of the unknown , is to be Indiana Jones chased by a rock while everything collapses, is the cry of emotion with sweaty hands before the purest platform challenges, is to get the best photo again and again to appreciate the detail of its exquisite presentation and beautiful worlds This title is humming sticky melodies that inspire you, it is a perfect control that becomes an extension of your thoughts, it is to cry of nostalgia with its well-taken care references to the past of a legendary series, it is a sea of mechanics that surprise you every Once you throw Cappy at any object or enemy, it's a game that refreshes a series exceeding our expectations, is spending hours and hours trying to reach its hundreds of energilunas ... it's a true masterpiece!
The feeling I had initially that led me to think that ruthless platform challenges were missing or that their bosses were weak was diluted when I felt overwhelmed by everything there is to do at the end of the campaign, which is when the best of the game begins.
For all the above, I give you the highest rating on the LEVEL UP scale. Play it, it's the perfect pretext to acquire a Nintendo Switch.