Super Mario Odyssey
from IGN.com
Story: Well I’ll be damned. Bowser, the Mushroom Kingdom’s most eligible bachelor, has finally decided to put on the ol’ ball-and-chain and marry Princess Peach. Super Mario Odyssey’s story, a fun if familiar twist on the Mario formula, follows Mario as he sets out to stop the century’s least consensual wedding. Joined by a sentient hat named Cappy, Mario flies from kingdom to kingdom in a giant hat-shaped airship, arriving at each just in time to fight Bowser’s grotesque wedding planners.
Gameplay (It’s Good… Really Good): Odyssey’s gameplay is the main event. Better than ever, the gameplay feels like the culmination of Nintendo’s 20 years of experimentation that started with Super Mario 64. The headlining feature is Mario’s “Capture” ability, which allows him to throw Cappy onto an enemy and inhabit their body. Using enemies’ abilities feels great, whether it’s a coin purse that shoots money or a Bullet Bill that lets you fly around at high speed. Odyssey’s basic controls also manage to shine by themselves, even in the presence of other fancy new powers. While Odyssey’s movement may not match the sheer ingenuity of Super Mario Galaxy’s gravity bending planet-hopping, it more than makes up for it in how tight and responsive everything feels. New additions to Mario’s basic movement, like a mid-air dive roll, make him a joy to control. Cappy also lends Mario some fresh new moves, like the ability to jump on his new hat in midair or flick him sideways to collect coins without slowing down. A player strapped for time could get through the game without exploring these new tools, but doing so would be missing out on some of Odyssey’s best offerings. Such experimentation isn’t in vain either — Odyssey’s levels are designed to fuel the player’s innate feelings of “I wonder if I can get up there?” or “they wouldn’t hide something all the way out there, would they?” Being that this is the first Mario game in decades where coins can actually purchase items, it’s delightful to pursue your curiosity and find that the level designers have rewarded your effort with a massive bounty. The only snag in this system is the lingering presence of motion controls, which have somehow managed to outlive the Wii Remote that made them popular. You can make it through all of Odyssey without shaking or flicking your controller, but some powered-up abilities require such gestures. I personally found them intuitive, but it’s admittedly head-scratching that Nintendo neglected to find a way to just use controller buttons for these options.
Visuals: Mario games aren’t known for their photorealistic graphics, but Odyssey still manages to feel immersive and lifelike. Little touches like the way Mario shivers when it’s cold or takes a nap when left alone for a while (relatable) make the game feel alive. Enemy designs match the cuteness and creativity of the world around them, and even the classic Mario goons have been given some nice graphical touch-ups. Odyssey’s finest visual treat, however, is something far more stupid and fun: costumes. Mario can buy dozens of hats and outfits, from a hipster outfit to an inner tube with floaties, with the coins he finds on his adventure. Mixing and matching is encouraged, so go wild dressing up as a scuba diving caveman or a saucy sombrero astronaut.
The Verdict: If you own a Nintendo Switch, you should buy Super Mario Odyssey. The barrier to entry is low, as it is for many Nintendo games. Odyssey, however, offers mechanical and environmental depth, constantly rewarding curiosity with moments of joy. And of course, let’s face it — if you don’t want to put Mario in a swimsuit and a cowboy hat and pretend he’s an oil tycoon in a ’90s TV drama, then I’m sorry, but you’ve picked the wrong hobby.
