It's time to jump up into the air, Superstars! Super Mario Odyssey was one of the launch titles for the Switch in 2017, and a few weeks ago I saw the credits so lets get up and move with this review! ~Story~ Within the start of the game, it's shown that Bowser has managed to kidnap Princess Peach, and seemingly wins against Mario for once. Destroying his hat in the process (how expensive are those hats?), Mario finds himself in a far off kingdom and with a new friend- the Hat Ghost/Bonnette, Cappy. It turns out along side Peach, Bowser kidnapped Cappy's little sister, named Tiara. The two decides to work together to save their loved ones from the Koopa King. Along the way they explore around 17 different kingdoms, and help many people within them. Spoiler After the main story line, there are 2 very hard extra levels- a boss rush and a extremely difficult level with no checkpoints. There are also special hard mode bosses, and a online sub-game only reach-able after the first credits. ~Gameplay~ Super Mario Odyssey is a 3D action/'open world' platformer, very much like Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine. Like many Mario games, it is collectathon focused- with the collectables reaching 999 if you really want to go for it. Unlike most of the Main Series Mario Games before it, there is no lives system. Mario can have up to 6 Hit Points (normally 3, but a Life-Up Heart can max it at 6) and loses 10 Coins at 'dying'. Most damaging objects give Mario 1 damage, while toxic waters and pitfalls insta-kill. Besides the many jumps, leaps, and other common platforming skills Mario possesses, in Odyssey, he obtains a new skill: Capturing. Cappy has the unique ability to 'capture', or possess, beings as long as they don't have a hat on ((thus all NPCS have hats)). Each being/object has their own abilities, being higher jumps, projectile attacks, or even just moving to open a area/show a collectable. ~Graphics~ Super Mario Odyssey is a very detailed game graphically- not as amazing as the realistic MMORPGs out there/BOTW, but when compared to modern Mario it's one of the most detailed as of yet. Each character is detailed beautifully, especially Mario and his hair. Buildings and terrain are textured wonderfully and make each kingdom bright (or dark, depending) and unique. There are also 8-bit areas that even have 8-bit variations of each outfit Mario can get Spoiler and Bowser and Peach have 8-bit forms as well ~Sound~ Honestly, with gameplay, the music was often masked under Mario's cries of "Woohoo! Yahooo! Yaah!" ect with his jumps and cappy tosses. But once going to the music track and giving them a listen, they're definitely Mario-like tunes. Short, easy to loop, and enjoyable (until you've been in a kingdom for days to 100% it and growing tired of the ambiance)- BUT once that happens you can use the Music List to play new songs within the land. Most tunes also have a 8-bit variation, if you enjoyed the 'beeps and boops' of the Gameboy/NES/SNES era. ~Voice Acting~ Like most Modern Mario games, there is very little voice acting. Most creatures make gibberish sounds to give players a idea on how their voices/accents sound, with only few select having real words (such as Peach's "Mario!"). Seeing how this is the norm for Mario games, I don't count it against the game. ~Length~ Super Mario Odyssey is one of the longest/biggest games I have when it comes to what there is to do. The main collectable maxes out at 999, 40 different costumes to obtain (several being 9999 coins), and Spoiler 2-3 extra hard levels, hard mode bosses . If you know how Modern 3D Mario games work (such as the special jumps) this can take up to 76 hours if you don't die too much. If you're new to 3D Mario (such as me) it could go over 100 or more hours. And add on Spoiler the online sub-game the game can last for a long time if you enjoy playing as our plumber friend! ~Final Thoughts~ Odyssey is one of my favorite recent games as of late, if you want a platformer for the Switch, I'd recommend it!
It's very great! I also recommend the remix of Jump Up, Super Star! by The Living Tombstone. It's great! But yeah, Shadria nailed everything down, I don't have anything else to add, because I agree 100% with everything.
Oh hell yeah. I love this game. The movement is smooth, the parkour is fun and you can invent different ways of getting to places thanks to its mechanics, the game is visually stunning, and it embodies what a good Mario game is all about: gameplay and Mario. This game may be my favorite Mario game. It was such a breath of fresh air to play this. I feel like everyone who has a switch should experience this game. It’s another amazing game to smiles to people’s faces. How do you do it, Miyamoto?
Great review, Shadria! Super Mario Odyssey is one fantastic game, and likely my favorite on the Nintendo Switch. It will certainly be a classic for many years to come!
I got a copy with my Switch, and there is just so much to do! Mine even came with a commemorative coin/compass.
Nice review! But, if I may ask, what are your thoughts about Luigi's Balloon World that was added onto Odyssey at a later point of time (I think that's the name)?
Unfortunately I lack online play for my Switch (seeing dad's attitude with video games I don't want to get him mad with '$20 a year for online play'-- He didn't like the $9 a year for Poke-Bank) so I haven't messed with Luigi's Balloon World once. :c
I don't think you need online to play Luigi's Balloon world, I remember playing it before I got my online subscription! Maybe try it out and see if it works.
