Super Mario Odyssey Review

Genre: 3D-Platformer / Adventure
Players: 1-2* (Light co-op features included)
Playtime: 40 hours (Includes beating the game and extra challenge kingdoms, finding all 880 moons, and just goofing off in New Donk City even when there was nothing left to be collected)

Nearly 20 years ago, Super Mario 64 heralded the dawn of a new era for 3D games and the potential joy to be found jumping around these large playgrounds of sorts.  Despite this revolutionary design, the continuation of 3D Mario games have been few and far between since then.  And with this lapse, the series also shifted to a more linear, guided experience, filled with carefully constructed levels / missions rather than the large open sandboxes to explore.  Much like was the case with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild though, Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch looks to revisit its roots and recapture (no pun intended) the true essence that was the 3D Mario escapade.  The result is an adventure that is both a liberating and incredibly refreshing experience.  So without further ado, let's dive on into this audacious odyssey and take view of the positive and negative sights to be found.

Creativity / Weirdness

Right from the start of this game, you'll take note of the unusual story presentation and unique opening worlds that begin this intriguing journey.  It's a game that isn't afraid to be different, to which much enjoyment will be found in an escalation of strange and surprising discoveries.  And trust me, this game can get plenty bonkers.  It reminds me very much of the unusual clash of styles when Square and Nintendo worked together to create Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, which still stands as having a one of a kind tone with its world design and colorful cast of characters.  So it's wonderful to see Nintendo embracing such a diversity of styles and creative ideas once again.

One of many unique and bizarre captures to be found in the game's many unusual kingdoms.

One of the key mechanics introduced in this particular Mario expedition is the new partner, Cappy, and his ability to be thrown at and capture most every baddie.  It serves much like the power-up mechanics of past Mario games, albeit with a few key differences: There are now dramatically more abilities to be found because of the vast variety of enemies and objects, and they are immediately understandable having the opportunity to view and identify their patterns before capturing.  Thanks to this, the game is overflowing with so many creative scenarios and little puzzles to be solved at every turn.  Bullet Bills are no longer explosive enemies to be avoided, but now means to cross great distances and otherwise impassible chasms.  Cheep Cheeps are now your source to limitless oxygen when underwater.  With so many distinctive abilities, worlds, residents and more, there is no shortage of wonder and ingenuity to be found.

Control

3D Mario titles have always offered a greater degree of control and variety of moves in the player's arsenal in which to explore these more complex spaces.  Part of the reason for this is platforming in 3D is typically much more difficult to gauge than that of 2D games, due to the extra depth and dimensions to assess.  Fortunately, Cappy once again proves to be an invaluable addition, providing Mario with all the right tools to his already impressive move set.  His hat throw is the perfect means for disposing of tiny nuances and providing that extra bit of air time when needing to make a quick midair adjustment.  And with clever combinations, players can manipulate long distant jumps in ways never before through long jumps, hat tosses, and midair dives.  This is almost assuredly the best this Italian superstar has ever felt to maneuver and control.

Exploration / World Design

Super Mario Odyssey is largely a game of exploration and finding coveted collectibles, in this instance being Power Moons and Purple Coins (the latter of which is local currency and unique to each kingdom found in the game).  With 880 moons to be found in this game, each kingdom is filled to the seams with these glittering treasures to find.  Every nook and cranny has reward and reason to be explored.  Even areas that might seem unintended to ever be reached, you may be pleasantly surprised to be rewarded with a large stack of coins or such for your efforts should you try.  The game also smartly never pulls you out of the action when finding Power Moons, but rather lets you continue on your merry way, allowing exploration to continue unhindered.

New Donk City is perhaps my favorite world of Super Mario Odyssey, with secrets above, below, and at every turn, and with so many means in which to reach them with the discerning eye.

Aside from the abundance of secrets to be found, each world is so beautifully and distinctively designed, both in aesthetics and unique topography / mechanics.  From sprawling, hilly deserts to tall, dense cities, to brightly colored oceans of hot broth, each world offers a unique and fresh experience.  And many kingdoms are divided in multiple acts, giving each of these worlds various changes to be discovered upon second and third visits.  It helps to create a more interesting narrative into each kingdom and asks the player notice subtle changes, developing a deeper affinity with the space as no detail is left unnoticed.  And yet there's always new details being discovered as it is just teeming with small, clever touches.  Nowhere is this better displayed than perhaps New Donk City of the Metro Kingdom, with its humorous street names and stylishly retro graffiti and more.  These little touches really make each of these destinations feel like real living and breathing spaces.

Bosses

Aside from the bumbling bunnies that are the Broodals (more on them below), the rest of the bosses in Super Mario Odyssey are some of the best encounters to be found in the entire series.  Many involve use of a particular kingdom's captured enemy mechanic, to which that boss fight then takes those creative mechanics and exemplifies them to much grander proportions (appropriately fit for what is a climatic boss fight).  These bouts feel particularly epic for various reasons depending on the encounter, from the wicked fusion of music as you strike the weak points of one boss, to the grand scope of the arena of another encounter which takes place over the entire kingdom you've just spent so much time exploring.  As mentioned above, many kingdoms have additional acts which are typically triggered after defeating the Broodals.  Though you can proceed to the next kingdom after foiling these nefarious rabbits, I highly recommend sticking around a bit longer to finish the next main mission and not miss out on what is perhaps the most thrilling aspects of this game.

Nostalgic Nods

With a game already so full of secrets and creative ideas on display, it's also more than proud to showcase its history with an abundance of nostalgic nods.  Both regular and purple coins in the game can be used to purchase a plethora of hats and costumes, all of which date back to various past Mario appearances.  For a more subtle reference, even how Mario grabs the Moons gives nods to all his past 3D adventures as he holds his hand in one of three random poses: Peace-sign (as used in Mario 64), open palm (as used in Super Mario Sunshine), or a closed fist (as used in Super Mario Galaxy).  There are so many more fun bits of nostalgia, from the music to captures and more, but I won't ruin the surprises as discovering these bits of love are half the fun.

The 2D segments offer some clever retro platforming, and also allow for many amazing 8-bit Mario costumes to be enjoyed.

Art Direction / Music

It'd be criminal if not to also mention just how beautiful this game is, both to look at and listen to.  The way fog rolls and curves with the rolling hills of the Cap Kingdom.  How Mario's outfits pick up dirt and smoke when rolling through the desert or fiery fumes.  The way Mario lifts out his arms when running at high speeds.  Or the delightful bounce to his nose with his exaggerated and cartoon-like animations.  Like every other element of the game, the art direction stands out thanks to an astounding attention to detail that all adds up to a gorgeous package.

And the soundtrack is an equally delightful and diverse mix to be enjoyed.  Ranging from orchestral suites akin to that from Super Mario Galaxy to joyful trumpets blaring in jazzy, big band performances, every tune is an uplifting and motivating accompaniment to Mario's expeditions in each kingdom.  Listen below to a few of my favorite melodies below, from the funky fresh bass of the Wooded Kingdom to the oh so hip horns of New Donk City.

Broodals

As mentioned above, many of the bosses in this game are the best the series has ever seen.  That is with the exception of the Broodals, whom are evil rabbit wedding planners tasked with slowing Mario's progress.  They are similar to that of the Koopalings, but with less personality or any reason to care about them.  No, they just float in their airship and typically serve as the end boss to the first act of most kingdoms.  Their fights are fine enough the first time, but quickly become repetitive affairs upon further bouts and are nowhere as near memorable as the other boss fights found in the game.  Perhaps if there were more interactions other than the same circular arena fights with them, such as maybe a chase sequence where they could have been stealing a wedding item, they could have been more enjoyable and memorable additions to the cast.

Challenge vs Reward

There are an abundance of moons to be found in this game.  Many prove to be thought-provoking and creatively hidden, while many others are just strewn about requiring little effort to be noticed or collected.  It certainly helps fill the worlds, but you can't help but feel less would perhaps offer more gratification to their gathering.  I can only surmise the inclusion of these easy overflow of moons is to A) be impressive for the sheer amount of content to be found and B) allow players of all skill levels enjoy this game.  With this being a much more open-world design than any 3D Mario, this wealth of moons to be collected allow for a great variety of tasks which can be taken on in any order, and allow for players with varying skill sets to take on the challenges they feel able.

The name says it all: Some moons lack a significant amount of challenge or effort.

So it sounds like they made the right decision to allow a greater wealth of people enjoy this game.  And yet, it still feels like there is an imbalance of challenge versus the reward.  This is likely because the amount of completion needed to clear this game is lower than ever before, requiring only a minimum of 124 moons.  This may sound like a lot, but out of 539 moons that can be obtained pre-credits (many of which are so easy to obtain), that's only 23% of the moons needed to beat the game.  Compared to other past 3D Mario games, which require between 45-60% completion needed to beat the game, the satisfaction of reaching the end feels more like it was handed out rather than earned.  It also seems crazy that many of the best parts of each kingdom can be skipped over should the player decide to just move along to the next kingdom after defeating those Broodals.  I suspect if they had raised the moon count just a little bit required to proceed and made these second acts of each kingdom mandatory, the ending would feel justly earned and all the more thrilling for it.

Handheld Mode / Motion Controls

I mostly played this game docked with the Pro Controller, and the motion controls were never a hindrance when playing as such.  However, when playing in handheld mode, things do get a little more cumbersome as to make motions then involves moving and shaking the whole system, and thus screen with it.  It would be nice to have alternative means to these motions, which some moves do, but not all.  Fortunately, there are only a select few moons in the game that really require the use of these motion controlled moves to be gained.

It's clear a lot of care and attention was put into Super Mario Odyssey, and with that is a plenitude of ideas and material to be loved.  While this excess of content doesn't always hit the same magnitude of thrills, the sheer amount and variety to be found is enough to keep a consistent smile on your face.  Without spoiling too much, there's one set of missions found post-game that involves a world tour for power moons.  Upon completing this tour and returning to the starting kingdom, you'll be surprised to notice a gathering of the many kingdoms, in which their rich diversity becomes so apparent and appreciated.  I believe this perfectly summarizes this game's intent and central theme, that being a celebration of diversity and the creativity through which such can be gained.  So in that regards, my hat is off to you Super Mario Odyssey.  May your journeys continue to find the joy and wonder that comes from jumping through strange new lands for a long time to come.

If you have any questions or thoughts about this game, please feel free to comment and discuss below.  Thanks.  And happy gaming!