Super Mario Odyssey Game Review
Super Mario Odyssey was the next big 3d Mario game. People were excited for it’s release as this was the first big 3d Mario adventure in over 6 years. The Wii U did get Super Mario 3d World but the game was too similar to 2d Mario in it’s execution to really be consider the next big 3d Mario adventure. Super Mario Odyssey seemed to be giving fans what they wanted. So is this game all it’s hyped up to be or is it underwhelming.
Well the game starts with a short cutscene presenting the story. This is a Mario game so the story is pretty simple. Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach so he can marry her. Throughout the game Bowser steals wedding items for his wedding. The story is nothing new but the game relies much heavier on gameplay. It would be nice if the story had some unique elements like how Mario Galaxy introduced Rosalina and gave her a backstory but it doesn’t need that. Each area you explore does have some details written about it in the pause menu which is nice but overall this game heavily sidelines having any kind of story. Either way early in the game you meet Cappy who becomes Mario’s companion during the adventure like F.L.U.D.D. in Mario Sunshine and Luma in Mario Galaxy. Cappy grants Mario with one of the most unique powers he’s ever had. Mario can now capture enemies and become them by throwing his hat (which is now Cappy) at them. There is actually a funny cutscene that demonstrates this power.
This cutscene sets the tone for this game. While Mario’s previous adventures in Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 had a grandiose feel to them this game goes for a more silly themed adventure. This game leans into cartoony goofiness while still having a grand scope of worlds to explore. Going back to Cappy, he is basically a replacement for power-ups as all enemies you capture are power-ups. This is a really cool idea as it opens up so many possibilities. You can be a high jumping frog or a blazing bullet-bill or even a straight up T-Rex. These captures are super fun and add a lot to the traditional Mario gameplay. There's so many enemies to capture that it sometimes feels like certain ones don’t get enough time to shine. Some of my favorite power-ups are near the end of the game so I won’t spoil them but an earlier power-up that stood out to me was the Gushen which is a water enemy that can shoot water and use it like a jetpack. This capture made moving around a kingdom much faster and more fun. Speaking of kingdoms the game has quite a few of them. All of the kingdoms are great and unique. Some are just there to be boss fights but most are big sandboxes to explore. Your goal in these kingdoms is to collect moons in order to power up the Odyssey which is a ship you use to travel from kingdom to kingdom. The moons are basically like power stars in previous 3d Mario games except there are a ton of them. They are all hidden throughout the map and once you collect one you keep exploring. While some moons are easier to get than others it never really bothered me as there's so many moons that it felt like I was constantly discovering something new. Mario also controls really well. He can move very flexibly and is fun to control. The one issue with his controls is that certain controls with Cappy are motion control only and they don’t always work. These controls aren’t needed to beat the game but they do add to the game so it’s a little disappointing that you need to use motion controls for specific moves especially if you want to play the game in handheld mode. Using motion controls in handheld mode is basically impossible so this game was definitely designed to be played in docked mode. Gameplay wise the game is constantly fresh and rarely gets stale. The game is full of ideas and even references to old games. For example there is an entire kingdom based around the original Donkey Kong. The only time it gets stale is if you try to get every single moon. There's so many moons that once you collect most of them finding those last few can be annoying especially in the bigger kingdoms. Luckily in order to unlock the final extra challenge world you don’t need every single moon but it’s still a little disappointing if you want to collect every single moon. The music in this game is another point I’d like to mention. Nintendo almost always delivers on music in their games and this is no exception. The music is good with a few stand out songs that really stuck with me. This was the fist mainline Mario game to include lyrical songs and I have to say the two lyrical songs they made live rent free in my head. The most well known song was “Jump Up, Super Star!”. It was a jazzy tune that makes me happy every time I hear it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9r5hx47kxM
Nintendo definitely made sure Mario’s first lyrical song was great and representative of the feel of Mario. The other lyrical song is more of a light rock song that is just as catchy. It also helps when this song plays during the game. I won’t spoil it but this second song plays at the perfect time during the game and really enhances the moment. Aside from the two lyrical songs though the soundtrack was good but not as consistent as some of the previous 3d Mario games. Previous games just felt like they had more consistently catchy and unique songs. While Super Mario Odyssey’s soundtrack does have some of my new favorite Mario songs it overall doesn’t beat soundtracks from previous games.
Overall this game feels like a combination of many previous Mario games while also feeling like something new. When I first finished this game it almost felt like it could serve as a finale for the Mario franchise. I of course then realized that Mario will never end but it still shows just how much love was put into this game. While I do have a few issues with this game they are relatively small and don’t change the fact that this is one of the best 3d Mario games to date and I would highly recommend it to anyone who owns a Nintendo Switch.
