The Mario game we’ve been waiting for?
It feels like forever since we’ve had a true 3D Mario outing, sure I had fun with the likes of Super Mario 3D World but I mean a Mario game like the Galaxy games. Now, we finally have that with Odyssey…
What a surprise, Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser as he prepares to marry her. Mario is knocked down a few pegs in the beginning and even loses his precious hat, but a new hat ally called Cappy joins the Italian Plumber (or ex-plumber as learned recently) to rescue Peach and Cappy’s friend Tiara. Cappy replaces Mario’s hat and can be thrown at enemies among other uses like actually taking possession of objects and enemies. You can be a Goomba, T-Rex, Bullet Bill, Koopa Trooper and many others.
Power Moons are the main collectable to power up Mario’s ship called the Odyssey, so no Stars as such to collect. Well, I say that but ahem…moving on…Mario’s adventure will take him all over the world in his pursuit of Bowser, stopping at a whole number of Kingdoms with problems that need solving before they can continue. The Odyssey will tell you how many Power Moons are needed to venture forward, these can be earned in the classic Stars way by helping people around you, defeating bosses, solving puzzles and so on.
As well as traditional gold coins, you can also collect currency that will only work on that kingdom, both can be used to purchase new costumes and hats for Mario to wear. Most are for visual effect, though some can actually grant you access to other areas or nab you more Power Moons. Speaking of Power Moons, there are literally hundreds of these to collect and you can’t collect them all before at least beating the main game, then you can get even more…which in turn, opens up new clothes to buy and new Kingdoms to explore.
Each Kingdom has checkpoints that Mario can fast-travel to if he’s activated them, which saves a lot of time since most Kingdoms are massive in scale. You can buy hints from Toad for 50 coins that display a location of a Power Moon, as well as talking to a bird called Talkatoo who will put a hint next to a few Power Moons on your list, these can come in handy for some rather obscure ones that will have you scratching your head for hours.
There are so many Easter Eggs in Odyssey, it’s insane. You’ll reunite with Pauline from the original Donkey Kong who is now the Mayor of New Donk City, which is a parody of New York. There are even plenty of 2D segments that make Mario return to his classic Super Mario Bros roots, plus there are even more to be found that I won’t spoil for you, suffice to say you’ll be dropping your jaw…I know I was.
Visually, Super Mario Odyssey is an amazing game to look at. It runs smoothly throughout in both docked and handheld modes. It’s a testament to the power of the Switch, it’s a beautiful game with stunning visuals, animations and character models. Sound effects and music are classic of the series, which is no bad thing.
The Verdict
To mention every little detail in Super Mario Odyssey would take an eternity. All you need to know is that this is the best Mario game since Super Mario 64, I’d go so far as to say it surpasses it and every other Mario game out there. It’s a masterpiece and I still have quite a few Power Moons to grab myself, but part of me never wants it to end…it’s that good. So good, it’s getting the first 10 of the year from me!