Super Mario Odyssey Review

  I have been a long time fan of Nintendo and their games because of their reliability in great content.  Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo and Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development was no different delivering a well made 3D platformer with their timeless icon.  The Mario franchise has aged but Odyssey felt new and fresh adding new mechanics to a familiar hero.

The Game:   

  Super Mario Odyssey is a 3D platform adventure game where you play as the well know Italian plumber Mario.  Now on top of Mario and his ability to jump, triple jump, backflip, wall jump, and ground pound has a new friend he uses like a boomerang.  Cappy adds the ability to take out enemies at a distance and he can take over some baddies letting Mario control them.  Mario is able to use their abilities to reach new areas and solve puzzles.

  Your objective is to collect moons that are hidden throughout the different levels.  You will find them through jump puzzles, time trials, and sometimes by just looking around the right corner.  On top of the moons, you can collect two types of coins through the levels.  Gold coins are universal and can be used anywhere while the purple coins are based on the are you are in.  Both of these coins can be used to buy clothes, moons, and collectibles from the vendors.  Gold coins can also be used to buy hints on where moons are hidden.

  Mario travels from one area to the next by collecting enough moons to get his ship the energy it needs to fly to the next area.  There are hundreds to collect and even more become available after you beat the main story of the game.

  There is a co-op mode where you can pass the joycon to a friend and have them control Cappy for you.  If you decide to play alone they have added special controls when you disconnect the joycons from the console.  This will allow you to easily spin Cappy around you, throw your hat in different angles, and throw items further.  It really adds to the variation of play.

My Thoughts:

  The story in Super Mario Odyssey is your classic Mario story where Bowser has once again kidnapped Princess Peach.  It's the light-hearted story that we have grown to expect and love even if it is a shallow one.  There are many inhabitants of the world and it was fun to meet each one.  On top of the environments, you are moved through the game with a great soundtrack that accentuates the feel of where you are.  From upbeat adventure tunes to chill jazz you are pulled into the character that is the level itself.

  The graphics are good.  They are not the best you will find in the industry right now but there is no illusion that the Switch is packing high-end hardware.  It still manages to look polished and play fluidly.  While I saw some verticle lines from time to time while playing on my TV, I never experienced a slow down or anything that could hinder my gameplay at any level.  That is, beyond my own player abilities.  I can really inhibit my ability to be good.

  If you are going for just enough moons to move you to the next area you will find that the game is not too terribly challenging.  There are plenty of easily accessible moons in each level that takes very little skill to get making this game extremely accessible to lower levels of play.  Then there are others that will try your patience and test your skills.  Every time you die you will lose 10 coins and many challenges had me losing a lot.  The game is still pretty forgiving because gold coins are everywhere and if you need a hundred or so to make it through a challenge it's not an issue.

  I blew through this game.  It took me a good 15 hours to get through the main story but I did spend a lot of time exploring each land.  The levels looked pretty well covered till you find out just how many moons there are in this game.  If you are in for just the story you will get through pretty quick but if you play for collecting there is just a lot of content.  There are so many different types of puzzles as well that you don't feel like you are grinding either.  More like learning new tricks to get to the moon that first seems just out of reach.

  This game was extremely enjoyable to me.  Not only was it light-hearted but it was so upbeat and full of that Nintendo feel that it put a smile on my face several times while playing.    The boss fights are fun and have quite a bit of variation.  The earlier ones are not too challenging but I found the later ones taking some work and patience.  It was just an all around a good game.  If you are a fan of Mario or have been, you will not be disappointed unless you have just unreasonable expectations.  If you haven't tried one out, this would definitely be a title you should get a hold of.  It was a lot of fun.

(End Game spoiler)

  After you beat the game more moons be available for you to find some even marked on the map.  You will also have several challenges that will open up even more moons.  There is a set of boss fights that become available that add new mechanics to the bosses for a little extra challenge.  None of these really made the boss fights to tough but they were still fun.

TL;DR:

   Super Mario Odyssey continued the tradition of Nintendo delivering a full, fun, and light-hearted adventure.  The gameplay is enjoyable, the levels are entertaining, and there is so much to see and do it provides plenty of hours of entertainment.  If you have a Switch it definitely worth picking up the title.