Super Mario Odissey, beyond Ulysses and The Odyssey
“Super Mario Odyssey” is known as one of the best titles of the year. It is the perfect redefinition of the platform game, the spiritual successor of “Mario 64” and “Sunshine”.
But it goes much further. A huge variety of possibilities in the gameplay; new locations that claim for exploration; and the introduction of Mario’s faithful companion Cappy, who adds to a very good movement system the possibility of manipulating the entire environment. Altogether, a long list of features that make this title wonderful.
But there is something that makes this new game completely different from the rest, something that goes far beyond the mentioned characteristics. The concept on which its pillars and gears have been built, on which all the storyline and its playable mechanics pivot. “Super Mario Odyssey” is a journey, an odyssey.
The game takes this concept to another level. The stay on each planet is always temporary. Though we have total freedom of exploration and we decide how much time we want to spend at each level. When the time comes we must move forward, we have to continue the journey. From the very beginning a goal has been set: get the ship ready and rescue Peach. But the similarities and references found in “Super Mario Odyssey” with the Homeric texts go far beyond a single word in a title.
In the old days all literary compositions were designated as poems. Among the different types covered by the genre we find the odyssey, a term linked to an epic poem attributed to the poet Homero. The name honors the protagonist of the story: Odysseus (Ulysses).
The poem is about an epic adventure about the return home, which is divided in two major plot blocks. First, the misadventures of Ulysses during his long trip back from the Trojan War. Secondly, the difficulties of the protagonist once returned to his homeland when he struggles to be recognized by his wife Penelope. But if we had to extract the essence, the purpose why Ulysses travels from Troy to Ithaca is the recovery of a fragmented identity or, in other words, the reconstruction of being through memory.
Let’s go back now to the beginning of “Super Mario Odyssey”. Bowser destroys Mario’s cap, the most symbolic object of the plumber and his identity sign. Next, Cappy, the new adventure partner, enters the scene and takes the shape of Mario’s hat. This looks exactly like the classic hat we’re used to seeing, except for Cappy’s eyes at the top. This is where we see the first reference with the Odyssey. The icon dies, to revive with new abilities. The being is reconstructed from the memory to create a new version of the icon, just as Ulysses is forced to evolve along his journey.
Then the adventure begins. A journey through different planets whose final purpose is the return home which on this occasion does not refer to a physical space, but to a person: Peach.
In the poems Ulysses must face many difficulties, misadventures that hinder his path to the goal. Something similar happens in “Super Mario Odyssey”. Each planet is synonym of a new path, but also of a new obstacle. A new scenario, new characters and aesthetics. Always different from the previous one. However, there is a feeling that repeats itself. You are “in transit” as the map itself indicates in the form of a brochure, you are a tourist. The objective is clear: youhave to get enough power moons to supply the energy needs of the ship and keep going.
Although we have total freedom of exploration and you feel like exploring every single corner because everything on the stage invites you to do so (and there is always this extra motivation to “catch them all”), it is inevitable to feel some urgency of progress. Come on! You have to save Peach. It’s what Mario always does. So you travel to the next planet, collect the necessary power moons and continue to another planet. This process is repeated again and again until we reach the end, which brings us to the second plot of the “Odyssey”.
Once Ulises overcome all the adversities and reach the destination, he struggles to be recognized by his wife Penelope, who had been besieged by multiple suitors during his absence. Something similar happens to Mario in his fight against Bowser. The conflict is raised from the beginning of the game: Bowser kidnaps Peach because he wants to marry her. And just in case you had forgotten about the wedding with so much travel, Mario dresses up for the occasion to remind you that, from the beginning, you are there to interrupt a wedding and recover the princess.
If it is a happy ending or not, it depends on each one. On this occasion Nintendo does move away from the famous book of poems, because Peach seems to blow everyone off. As a personal appreciation I didn’t expect it at all. I was annoyed because in the end it looked like another story about “a girl in distress who needs to be saved.”And while I’m still waiting for the day when we have a warrior Peach that saves Mario (it would be at least a curious approach to the story), I think this ending is a small step that shows part of the face-lift that Nintendo is carrying out.
As a conclusion, it is interesting how both video games, movies and literature are inspired by classic works in order to create new stories and how they are still able to transmit so many things. “The Odyssey” is today a reference for storytelling and there are many works that were born as a product of its verses. “Super Mario Odyssey” mantains its essence to bring us, probably, the best version of the plumber so far.
