At the beginning of the year Nintendo was at the backend of
the console market. We knew that they were going to launch a brand-new console,
but was that enough to put Nintendo back in the conversation? In March,
Nintendo was set to launch their new console – The Nintendo Switch along with
the highly anticipated Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo promise a trickle of
game every month, for the most part they stayed true to that with re-releases
of Wii-U games, new exclusive games, and an abundance of indie games. But the
next highly anticipated game for Nintendo was Mario Odyssey set to release in
October.
Now the we understand the importance and the impact the
Switch has in the industry. A hybrid console that can be played at home and on
the go in handheld. When you combine the portable nature of the Switch and how
Mario: Odyssey’s pick-up and play gameplay of collection is – it’s a perfect
storm of joy in any time of day.
Mario Odyssey Made Me Feel Like a Kid Again
The first thing that
popped out at me was the amazing visuals—this is the best-looking Mario game ever.
We came a long way from the days of Mario 64. The graphics and visuals are
improved over the years, but there are markings of Mario 64 in this game. The
open world aspect feels exactly like going through a painting and seeing a
unique explorable world.
Running around in
the world reminds me of the time I went up the hill to battle the Chain Chomp
boss. Every action was a blast from a past. All the audio sounds, the
animation, and enemies blends together in a joyful experience that made me
smile the whole ride though.
Boss battles
compared to Mario 64 are different mechanically, but each encounter is a fun
simple puzzle that has unique mechanics that hasn’t been introduced in that
world before.
As I played through
more, the more I realized how many parts of Odyssey were reused, or improved
from Mario 64. I haven’t had a chance to play the last couple Mario titles, but
I’m glad that my first experience as an adult with Mario was with Mario
Odyssey.
Mario Explores Unique Worlds
Before release I
knew that Mario Odyssey would have many worlds. I didn’t think there were 12
worlds! These worlds come in all different sizes. Some can be massive but feel shallow
or it can be a small compact world with many nooks and crannies.
Whatever world
you’re on there are many secrets that feel rewarding. It can be a building
you’ve pass repeatedly, or it can be as simple as a butt stomp on small hill.
Mario Odyssey’s world designs were made in a way that makes the player achieve
something. Moons, paintings, hat puzzles, or heath packs. Exploration in Mario
Odyssey is never a dull moment. There will be always something to do even after
the credits roll.
Cappy the Hat is The Best Companion -- Sorry Yoshi
If you didn’t
already know, Cappy is a sentient hat that Mario obtains early in the game. The
power he has allows him to transform in to different hats. He can also turn
himself and Mario anything if captured. They can take over curtain objects like,
animals, and enemies. it’s cute, you can see Cappy as the hat and Mario’s
mustache and blue eyes.
Cappy as a mechanic
is Nintendo’s best envision in a Mario series I’ve experienced – it’s
definitely the weirdest. The way Nintendo creates the world is so tied to this
mechanic. For example, taking over a goomba allows you to stack other goombas –
in doing so it can take you to higher heights or taking over Bullet Bill allows
you to hover over gaps like a pit or pool of lava. This mechanic is great for
exploring the world and hidden areas that might be seen otherwise.
Cappy is the Mario’s
best friend in Odyssey and it’s slowly becoming my favorite secondary character
in a Nintendo game. Sorry Yoshi it’s been fun but Cappy is one of a kind.
--
As a collectible
game this game has almost an endless amount of gameplay value, as to 100% Mario
Odyssey you must collect 999 moons. That’s a lot of moons to find.
Mario has been in
our gaming culture for as long as I can remember or me. It all has the
fundamentals of a great platformer. But as technology grow videogames grew and Mario
grew with them. As someone who hasn’t played a Mario game since Mario 64, Mario
Odyssey made me think about how I grew, and how I might grow with it.
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