Mario Odyssey is here to live up to all of the hype and keep you glued to your Switch with surprises for hours. It’s proof that Nintendo will always find ways to make Mario titles exciting and relevant and a hell of a unit shifter for the Switch that looks gorgeous on an HDTV and plays just as well on-the-go. Simply put, Mario Odyssey is a game to be cherished. So Nintendo somehow even wins in the worst aspect of Mario Odyssey. It’s hard to find anything to complain about, other than possibly the tacked on two player mode that lets a couch co-op buddy flail around fairly fruitlessly as the hat, but even that is an undeniable improvement on the similar yet even less satisfying two player mode in Mario Galaxy. One as primal in its gaming pleasure as the original turtle-stomping Mario adventures and as robust and varied in its design as only a contemporary game could offer. Apologies if you didn’t know-the folks behind Mario Odyssey have gone out of their way to ensure that the game confounds expectations at every turn, while still providing the core Mario experience that players have loved since the 80s. From the Tim Burton-esque opening world to the wild and epic ride of the final Bowser battle-Whoops, spoiler alert! Yep, you fight Bowser at the end. In fact, the element of surprise is likely the most consistent joy of Mario Odyssey.

Even that T-Rex teased in the trailer appears within the first half hour of gameplay, so if you think you know what’s coming you really don’t. The various creatures that you can embody as Mario are all smartly chosen-with a healthy mix of classic villains and new attractions-and constantly surprise. The sheer volume of costumes available for players to purchase for Mario is ridiculous, all cutely hilarious-my favourite being either the Caveman or the Samurai armour just because of how much they make me giggle-and often tied directly to gameplay. The orchestral score is gorgeous and it’s even possible for players to mix and match their own soundtrack should they choose. All the familiar worlds pop up, while new ones like the urban sprawl of New Donk City feel at one with the goofy universe while pushing things further through environmental and lighting effects never before possible with Nintendo’s previous hardware. The previous gold standard of Mario artistry in Galaxy has been topped. Visually, the game is absolutely beautiful. Obviously Nintendo has done this in Mario game before, but Odyssey feels particularly robust, filled with surprises and controller smashing challenges that’ll stretch on for ages. This game is as simple or deep as any particular player wants it to be. From there, so many other secrets and additional worlds appear that it’ll likely be months before it’s all even documented. Merely finishing the story takes around 15 or so hours. Anyone could pick up this game and figure it out-there’s a handy Assist Mode that offers extra health and a guided path of objectives that toggled on and off from the pause menu at any time for those young or inexperienced enough to need a helping hand-while the hardcore crowd will find themselves sinking a few dozen hours collecting every moon and coin to max out Mario Odyssey to completion. They are about pure platforming and puzzle solving joy, along with a surrealistic fantasy romp just imaginative enough for children and playful enough for grownups.Īs always, the most impressive achievement in Nintendo’s latest Mario outing is how intuitively simple and robustly deep the game feels. These games aren’t about deep narratives or resonant character arcs. Obviously, it’s a bit silly and simple, but that’s how Mario goes. He replaces Mario’s classic hat that allows Mario to flick enemies with his hat, leap off his hat for extended jumps, and use the hat to possess a variety of creatures and objects throughout his latest adventure. It’s a place with sentient flying hats, and Mario quickly befriends one.

From there, Mario ends up in Cap Kingdom, Bonnetown. I know, so different, right? Well, this time Bowser has a matching white wedding suit and dress for himself and Peach. So plot-well, this is going to really surprise you-the game starts with Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach and taking her away on a flying battleship. This game is incredible and guaranteed to put a smile on the face of anyone who enjoys video games and is capable of experiencing joy. It really shouldn’t be possible after all these years and all those Mario games. Somehow, the company has made another Mario masterpiece. Just like how the Switch has done the same thing for Nintendo. How does it define the system? Well, the game is nostalgic and fresh combining everything that Mario has done well in the past into a new package filled with surprises. Now Super Mario Odyssey comes to the Switch.

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