Before I get into a proper review of Super Mario Odyssey, I would like to share the moment I fell in love with this game.
After watching Bowser kidnap Princess Peach for what is seemingly the fiftieth time, Mario and his new sidekick Cappy get kicked out of Bowser's sky ship and into the first world, which is the Cap Kingdom. Cappy has the ability to turn into any hat, and so he turns into Mario's iconic cap, as Bowser ripped up Mario's original cap. After I get to control Mario for the first time in the game, I try to see what kind of moves he can do. I fell in love with this game when I can do many of the same moves as in Super Mario 64, which was a video game I treasured as a child. Super Mario Odyssey feels like Super Mario 64, but with the freshest coat of paint.
Mario 3D platforming games always have a central game mechanic. Super Mario Sunshine had the water pack. Super Mario Galaxy had the worldly level design. Super Mario Odyssey has Cappy, where Mario can throw him at certain animals and enemies to gain control of their bodies and their abilities. This central game mechanic has greatly improved the variety of gameplay, and the abilities of the beings Cappy can control can result in unique ways to obtain Power Moons. I enjoyed the use of Cappy in Super Mario Odyssey.
The other great thing about Super Mario Odyssey is that the difficulty of the game is whatever the gamer wants it to be through their gameplay. There are so many Power Moons to obtain in all of the worlds. Casual gamers and younger children can stick with the main story and go for the easy-to-obtain moons. Serious gamers can challenge themselves and go for the harder-to-obtain, or even try to go for every single moon in a world.
I would like to mention other quick things about Odyssey. The graphics are polished, and some of the worlds stand out from the bubbly and poppy color palette. The level design is top-notch (like many other Mario games), and will provide a suitable challenge. Finally, I love the music theme for this game, especially when the theme plays during a certain part in the story in the Metro Kingdom.
Super Mario Odyssey is not without its flaws, however. Controlling Mario feels a bit finicky, especially when you are trying to traverse Mario through somewhere that requires precise control. The way Mario moves and turns when you initially try to move him does not feel natural to me. In addition, the multiplayer for this game is a complete afterthought, as the second player only gets to control Cappy, which severely limits the things the second player can do in the game.
Super Mario Odyssey is loads of fun for the player, which is all you can ask for. You can ignore the story and just dive in to explore all of the different worlds that the game has to offer. In a ways, the casual, laid-back nature of Super Mario Odyssey contrasts the more serious nature of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Regardless, both games are necessary for the Nintendo Switch, and Super Mario Odyssey is an absolute blast.
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