Moons are the key to powering Mario’s ship, which is hungry for dozens of them before travel to the next kingdom is possible. The more impactful variation of moons, then, are termed multi-moons, just for sake of differentiation. Now, Mario is collecting moons instead of the typical stars, and those are a bit different as well: there are far more of them in the game than there were stars in any previous Mario title, but by the same token, they’re collected with much greater frequency. This makes for quite a bit larger worlds to explore-though they’re not huge, and there are (of course) significantly fewer of them. And while it would have been easy to settle for second-rate gameplay while controlling some of these creatures (many of whom are only fleetingly available before moving on to the next challenge), Nintendo naturally perfects the controls and mechanics associated with each individual one, such that it would have been possible to build nearly an entire game out of just a few of them ( Sunshine essentially did this, in fact!).īut while Odyssey borrows the commitment to variety and surprise from the Galaxy series, it also adopts Super Mario 64’s explorative, slower-paced, open-ended gameplay. Apart from all else, the variety provided by this addition to the formula alone is overwhelming.
Not every creature in the game can be commandeered in this manner, but the vast majority can. Cappy’s contributions to the adventure are significant: apart from the fact that Mario can leverage him to extend his jumping range and as a projectile to defeat his foes, by tossing him, Mario can often take control of other living things. Yeah, it’s ridiculous… so what did you expect?Īt the start of this adventure, Mario teams up with a hat-shaped ally named Cappy after losing his trademark red “M” hat Cappy’s sister was also kidnapped in the Bowser raid and is masquerading as Peach’s crown. In the course of preparation, Bowser’s minions wind up razing various kingdoms throughout the world in pursuit of their prized resources, which just so conveniently all happen to be wedding related (magical dress, giant ring, and so forth). Naturally, this occasion demands the very best resources and amenities available-so he brings these four troublemaking rabbits named the Broodles on board to do the wedding planning. Bowser’s kidnapped poor Peach once again, and this time, he’s determined to seal the deal by marrying her. What begins conventionally transitions over time into more and more outlandish and unpredictable-but throughout the entire journey, fun is the central theme which permeates nearly every moment.īefore we continue, it’s worth mentioning that there actually is a shred of story behind Odyssey.
And sure enough, despite understandably lofty preliminary expectations, I found myself repeatedly and often surprised. Reviewers of Super Mario Odyssey received an accompanying letter from the developers explaining that surprise was the primary focus of the development team from the very beginning. And, predictably, those games were endlessly lauded by videogame critics for their absolute brilliance in design. But with the Super Mario Galaxy series, Nintendo took this challenge head-on and refused to look back-and as a result, we received two games which are almost identical in design, but which simultaneously are completely unique in terms of the assortment of ideas and experiences they provided us. For all its well-deserved fame, Mario 64 had to spend so much time merely introducing the notion of a 3D platformer that it didn’t have the luxury of exploring wider variations on the concept. Recent Mario titles have augmented this philosophy further with another catalyzing devotion: a relentless pursuit of variety and surprise. Quite frankly, not much else really matters. Mario games dispense with the complexities that are foundational to many other videogames- story chief among them-and refocus the entire operation on the visceral appeal of the experience. Though the specifics of the blueprints have evolved over time, there is a single, predictable common denominator in this equation: fun, at all costs, with no exceptions. Meanwhile, Mario has remained at the crest of the industry for more than 30 years, routinely starring in some of the most critically-acclaimed games of their time. While gaming is littered with remakes and revivals of properties long past their prime, it’s not common that a franchise truly thrives for more than a couple of decades. The key to remaining relevant in nearly any industry is not simply to evolve, but to find and embrace your core competencies-those defining characteristics which you do best. I mention no hard numbers, no ruinous plot details, and no specifics regarding unlockables or later-game environments in the review.
Please Note: This is a spoiler-free review, as much as possible.