Nintendo has always been a company that knows how to get their audience excited. However, they also know how to make them wait. Many people have been waiting for the next great Mario game since the announcement of the Nintendo Switch. Others have been waiting since the Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64 and the Gamecube with Super Mario Sunshine for the next big Mario title. These two games make up the hall of fame for the Mario franchise. I am more than happy to announce to both parties that Nintendo has delivered to us the object of our prayers. Our patience has been rewarded; Super Mario Odyssey is everything we wanted and so much more.
Mario games have always been a series of “worlds” in the form of levels. Super Mario Odyssey breaks this pattern. Every world is, in fact, a world. When you’re satisfied with your completion of that world, you are free to blast on to the next. This lets you, the player, set the pace of the game. If one world begins to get stale or doesn’t suit your fancy (like the ever-hated water levels) then you are free to move to the next after completing your primary objective. The player is allowed to continue to move onward even if one world is left “incomplete”. Every world has a set of objectives and collectibles, as the Mario franchise has always had. The collectibles are all on you once the objectives are finished. Hunt your fill or chase Bowser to the next world!
Super Mario Odyssey also features an amazing soundtrack. It has some classics that have been revived and made new again but are still recognizable to an old friend of Mario. However, Nintendo didn’t stop there. There are new tracks for each world as well that keep the player bopping along through the game. There are even some vocals for more notable parts of the game. The last few tracks of the soundtrack appear as the game comes to a grand finale. The music really makes you feel like a superhero. Without the final tracks, I don’t think the ending of the game would be quite so cool or empowering for the player.
There is also a new companion, Cappy, who aids Mario throughout his adventure, as, you guessed it, his hat. Cappy allows Mario to harness new abilities in different ways than ever really seen before. Mario used to 1) eat a mushroom and then 2) develop a power based on that mushroom. It’s evolved since then to be random items such as leaves or capes to harness different versions of the ex-plumber. Now, we rely solely on Cappy for all of these needs. Cappy is able to harness the abilities from some would-be enemies but also some other useful objects. As I played through the game I found myself wondering what I could capture left and was never left disappointed. This new take on power ups leaves the player to their own creativity (and a little whimsy) to get through these new worlds, making it one of my very favorite parts. This mechanic often left me vocally saying “wow” or mumbling “this is so cool” as I played through each unique environment.
I really loved Super Mario Odyssey. Growing up playing any Mario game I could get my hands on, I find a lot of excitement in change and feel the full force of nostalgia in some remnants of past games. The only thing about Super Mario Odyssey that upset me was a few notable absences from the usual cast. Captain Toad has always been my favorite character and I was happy to his appearance in this title. However, on my list of favorites, Boo (or King Boo) is my favorite character (or enemy depending on the title) and I have yet to see him appear within the game. I hope it’s not too late for him to make a grand appearance.
Overall, Super Mario Odyssey blew my expectations out of the water. I have never been so enthralled in collecting every last item before, but this game has fully awoken the completionist in me. Though the adventure may end, the game goes on and it is still full of surprises to show me. I give Super Mario Odyssey a 10/10.
