Review: Super Mario Odyssey

A new Nintendo console is never complete without a Super Mario, and although the Nintendo Switch has already received two titles featuring the famous mustached plumber, namely Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, it was still missing a title like Super Mario Odyssey.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was released alongside the Nintendo Switch in March 2017, played a huge role in the console’s sales and market acceptance, but for many, especially the masses, Nintendo remains synonymous with Super Mario. This new title thus carries a great responsibility, that of “catapulting” the Nintendo console to an even larger audience.

It’s practically impossible not to enjoy at least a little bit of the Super Mario games. With over 30 years, it is undoubtedly one of the most popular franchises in the world of gaming. Although in the Mushroom Kingdom no one ages, if we count the years since its debut, Super Mario is already quite old.

In Super Mario Odyssey, it mirrors the childhood experience, where many of the older readers had their first encounter with the series. On one side, we have a new game full of content, and on the other, a new portable Nintendo console that brings a qualitative leap in “handheld games.”

The new game is the ultimate representation of Nintendo’s philosophy, preserving the traditional elements everyone knows while introducing new ones. It’s not a game that takes risks or goes beyond its limits, but it has genuine moments of charm and fun.

The key word is “Cappy,” the hat-shaped companion who will accompany Mario throughout this odyssey around the amazing planet. Cappy has a very special and complementary power: the ability to “possess” the various enemies that appear. It’s an idea that, although relatively simple, provides wonderful results. This is exactly what the series needed to escape monotony and repetition. Of course, Mario remains the main character, but the possibility of controlling other characters from this universe brings new challenges and very creative surprises.

Cappy isn’t the only big novelty. Super Mario Odyssey is like an adventure, breaking the molds of its predecessors. The platforming and controlled jumps remain a key part of the experience, but each area visited has more personality and feels “more alive.” The area that best conveys this feeling is New Donk City, a city clearly inspired by New York. There are cars on the streets, and characters with simple yet humorous dialogues, a huge step compared to the practically sterile worlds of previous games.

Anyone who has played any Super Mario game knows the story. The fearsome Bowser has kidnapped the princess again, and this time he wants to marry her. This serves as the excuse for the odyssey, which is really just another chase. Bowser will pass through several kingdoms to plan the perfect wedding and spread chaos along the way. In each kingdom, there is something important for the wedding, such as beautiful flowers or an incredible cake. While Bowser leaves a trail of destruction, Mario will go through each of these kingdoms following his trail and saving the day.

Although each world is visually different and presents new challenges, the objective is always the same. Mario’s ship is powered by moons, and to continue the pursuit of Bowser, the player will need to find enough moons to fuel the ship enough to reach the next kingdom. The number of moons varies from kingdom to kingdom, but there are many more than it might seem. Each level hides many secrets and creative ways to obtain the moons.

Additionally, each level also has a different boss. There are evil rabbits, birds, dragons, and other creatures that Mario will have to face before getting close to Bowser. Each of these confrontations has different mechanics, but all are simple and immediately obvious. I would say that Super Mario Odyssey is divided into two parts, and the first part can be overly easy.

It’s a lot of fun, but towards the end, it brings some discomfort. Luckily, after the ending, there are new challenges, and the difficulty gradually increases. I understand that this is a game aimed at all ages, so the difficulty doesn’t have to be extreme (nothing like Cuphead, haha! :D), but there should be a balance. If a game is too hard, it’s frustrating; if it’s too easy, it’s boring, meaning one factor leads to the other.

Although Super Mario games usually revolve around running and jumping, Odyssey slightly breaks that tradition. There’s Cappy’s ability to control other characters and creatures, which dramatically transforms the gameplay, but in normal mode, Mario still has many subtleties.

The gameplay has even more subtleties when playing with the Joy-Con in each hand. In this format, motion controls come into play. Nintendo encourages the player to play this way, but personally, I didn’t feel comfortable enough. The Joy-Con are small, and they lack support, leading to discomfort when trying to reach the buttons.

The ability to buy outfits for Mario, using coins or a special currency that varies depending on the levels, is another new feature in Odyssey. It’s a lot of fun to buy and dress the character in different ways, especially since there are many possible combinations. It’s a feature that could have been implemented a long time ago in the series, as there are countless games that allow character customization with clothes, hairstyles, tattoos, and accessories.