Super Mario Odyssey has been a game i had desperately been waiting for since its announcement for the Nintendo Switch. This is one of the first exploration based Mario games for around 15 years! Still to date Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 remained one of my all time favourite games but i have to say i gotta take my cap of to Mario as he has managed to outdo himself again with the amount of variety and content there is to offer.
Super Mario Odyssey features many different environments (up to 14) and they all range in sizes while not being very massive these areas they are jam packed filled with objectives which reward you with Power Moons to collect throughout the journey, collecting these Power Moons is the main way to progress through the game. Completing the game now i can see there is up to 600 collectibles to grab i've heard can be up to 999 collectibles though. There are some extra worlds to go to explore after the story too once you get to certain Power Moon milestones but will have to write a post once i've 100% completed the game in due time and come back to that.
Now Super Mario Odyssey managed to reach my expectations in relation to hype and seems to be getting recieved quite greatly with some review outlets even scoring 10/10’s in some places while you can find some more harsher critics everyone can agree this game is a blast and if you own a Nintendo Switch you NEED this game.
Gameplay
Mario himself controls much like Super Mario 64 there he can jump three times in a row each gaining new height if timed correctly and has different sorts of jumps when rapidly changing different directions and a superman leap forward when in the air (i love this move) this all plays very fluidly, unlike in other games mario can roll and since he is unable to dash this is you faster mode of transport at times but not by much. Momentum plays a big part in movement in this game too it’s so lovely to see mario speed up and slow down when going up or down slopes and it all plays very fluidly together. The movement scheme in the 3d environment takes some getting used too but in all the controls are very snappy and responsive making this very enjoyable experience
One of the major new features in this game comes from Mario’s new cap and his ability to traverse to some new areas and take control of enemies with this. Many of the enemies completely vary in their playstyles even at the time of this review after completing the storyline im yet to discover everything Mario’s new cap can inhabit and take control of. Some of things are modes of transports like Electricity lines, others are Chain Chomps, Bullet Bills and Goomba’s also flying variations of Goomba’s all the way up to T-rex’s, Tanks and all sorts of other enemies unique to the different kingdoms in the game, all of these enemies offer up new ways to traverse the specific environment they are in giving Mario many more opportunities to get around than he ever has before and this all works together magnificently while there is less of a focus on Mario throughout this due to the fact there are so many different enemies you may be playing as instead of Mario to get around and collect Power Moons.
Throughout your journey you will be collecting many coins which can be spent at a shop which is in each Kingdom which you gives you the option to buy new outfits for Mario and cosmetics for your ship the Odyssey these different costumes you can buy are amazing and its a blast going to a new area and seeing what's on offer at their shops to dress Mario up however you want throughout the game. Many of these costumes are callbacks to other Mario titles, some Kingdom specific clothing and quite a few wacky costumes too.
Kingdoms
I am yet able to comment on all the Kingdoms available in the game as i've heard there is one or two more unlockable ones i have so far played through 15 different kingdoms. Some of these areas are very small like the starting area the Cap Kingdom which acts as a tutorial are essentially after completing the story though all of these kingdoms receive extra Power Moons to go collect giving a bunch of replayability to these areas.
Each Kingdom has a bunch of Power Moons, Coins and Purple coins (these are unique to each Kingdom) to go and collect and throughout the story each Kingdom has a boss for you do showdown against as you go on your mission chasing down Bowser
Some Kingdoms really impressed me with the artstyle and charm few two to mention would be the Seaside Kingdom and Metro Kingdom these worlds are filled to the brim with Power Moons to collect and while this is great quite a lot are out in plain site and quite easy to get to especially while completing the story many of these Power Moons aren't overly hard to get too, the extra ones unlocked after completing the story to add some extra challenge but there's some more platforming difficulty wanted here.
With each new Kingdom you visit you are surely going to encounter some new kinds of enemies Mario can inhabit by throwing his cap at them and all of these enemies play differently and the main focus i feel to these areas and that is great to play as it ensures each new area feels fresh in some way by involving new enemies and ways you have to traverse the Kingdom offering a whole bunch of variety. While mentioning variety i have to say most of the Kingdoms you visit in this game are so completely different and unique to each other meaning you do feel like you’re visiting somewhere new each place you go to.
I was overall impressed by the kingdoms so far i've seen but felt somewhat disappointed knowing there could be areas done better and some more harder platforming challenges leaving me hoping for a sequel eventually in this formula giving us a bit more challenge and maybe more content to devour yet again
Story
Story in a Mario game has never been a focal point and that is the same here while it does have something there to try and keep you progressing through the story there really isn't much to it and the gameplay and wanting to explore everything yourself is the main compelling drive in this game at least for me. You start the game with Bowser already having captured Princess Peach shows down with you on a floating airship and manages to knock you off board and stomping on your cap in the process, this is where cappy comes along and follows Mario as he falls down into the Cap Kingdom. After a short introduction Cappy morphs into Mario’s hat with a set of eyes and soon shows off his ability to be able to take control of other animals/enemies
After this brief introduction it's clear Mario needs a ship to chase down Bowser as he plans on trying to force Princess Peach to marry him and is going to different Kingdoms stealing special items unique to each Kingdom for his own wedding. In the next Kingdom you come across the Odyssey and need to collect some Power Moons to power up the ship and allow you to journey on to the next kingdom, Each kingdom has a Boss of some sort but most of them are some of Bowser’s underlings in this game the Broodals which you will need to take down several times throughout the game. The story essentially is a cat and mouse chase as you try and chase down Bowser having a few fights where he always takes out your ship making you need to crash somewhere new and collect yet again more Power Moons to continue the chase this all plays out fine in the end as i'm not here for the story.
The conclusion to the story in this game though is amazing and was out of the blue to me and is a complete standout moment to me so far which i will talk about in a later post to avoid spoilers at the moment
Art
Mario in my opinion has never looked better than it has now on the Switch while it's only a slight improvement over Mario Galaxy titles which is mainly due to the increase in resolution but there are so many animations that come to affect in the different environments which just capture a bunch of detail which makes this game shine. In colder Kingdoms Mario starts to shiver and hotter Kingdoms Mario starts to sweat and be more exhausted. These small details add so much more immersion and seeing Mario get visibly wet and dirty from the different terrains he goes around in is such great attention to detail i kept just wanting to stop and appreciate everything that was happening
What makes this differ from other Mario titles?
The main games to compare Super Mario Odyssey to is Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine and while it plays very similarly in some ways to those games the focus on Mario has been pulled back a whole bunch and the spotlight has been on Mario’s new pal Cappy and the things he can now inhabit with his new sidekick making this game in the end play quite differently compared to other games at the same time. Everything that is new in the Mario game shines amazingly on its own but the classical roots from Super Mario 64 to shines through making this all come together very well and play like a blast and so far has been the only game i've been playing since the 27th of Oct
Technical side / performance of the game
This game plays at a smooth 60 FPS which is amazing giving Mario amazing smooth performance while platforming
This does come at a cost though due to Switch’s limited performance as a console this is realistically a handheld game so for npc’s most noticeably in the metro area New Donk City at range NPCS get a lower framerate 30 FPS at a distance which seems to drop even more from further distances
The game runs at a native 720p when in a handheld configuration but when docked there is a upgrade in resolution but it isn't a full 1080p but a dynamic range which switches through out more busy areas very rarely going back down to 720P but the game still looks amazing either way
Conclusion
If anyone reading this here owns a Switch and hasn't picked up Super Mario Odyssey yet then what the hell are you doing with yourself this game is a must have and you NEED it now Mario has never played better in my opinion. I feel like there are still a few areas that should have a better look into next time Nintendo takes an attempt on a Mario title like this like the Kingdoms on offer and more of a focus on challenging platforming areas before this can become a perfect Mario game but that will have to wait for the sequel now. This is still near perfect to me so go get yourself a Switch and get onto some Mario Odyssey already
Rating;
Gameplay 10/10
Worlds 7/10
Story 8/10
Art 9/10
Overall 9/10
Have you got to try out Mario Odyssey yet or have been looking at it recently? If so start a discussion with me and talk about what you like and dislike about this game i would love to hear from everyone!
I also hope everyone here in Aus had a good time trick or treating tonight! This is also my obvious plugin to get the Steemboard achievement on halloween
