Review: Super Mario Odyssey

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Super Mario Odyssey serves as the conclusion to 25 years of Mario. Our mustached protagonist has never felt so alive and district, contrasted by the hundreds of beings that exist in Odyssey’s delightful and idiosyncratic world. In every sense of the word, Odyssey feels like a celebration – filled with festive moments, music and scenery. Somehow, it manages to do all of that without ever coming across as being too full of fan service. Instead, Nintendo’s latest iteration in the franchise has an innovative bite to it – one that lingers and establishes itself as the cherry on top of an excellent year of video games. Through its use of Mario’s illustrious hat, Super Mario Odyssey transforms the franchise in a game that will be remembered as one of its best, and a fitting celebration for the quarter-century-old plumber.

After encountering some predictable turmoil, Mario finds himself sorely in need of moon power in order to fuel his space shuttle, The Odyssey. One of his first pit stops is Cascade Kingdom, a world reminiscent of other early game Mario levels, like Bob-omb Battlefield in Super Mario 64. Built around a distinct, vertical alp, Cascade sets the stage for levels to come. The destination is obvious, but the many ways the game provides Mario to get himself there are abundant and comprehensive. It’s in these multitude of avenues where Odyssey packs its largest punch.

Don’t let the backdrop fool you, Super Mario Odyssey is far from huge

This is not an overtly large game. In fact, it’s not a far cry larger than the aforementioned Super Mario 64 – something that might bring down an initial reign of disappointment. Fortunately, these levels are so tightly wound and stuffed with points of interest, that the game feels close to its biggest competitor for game of the year: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

In these tight spaces lies an immense amount of variety. This is due in large part to the introduction of “Cappy,”  a new mechanic that allows Mario to occupy the body of its target. Once occupied, Mario can use any of the abilities that the original body possess – regardless of how ridiculous or mundane they may be. For instance, if Mario throws Cappy on the top of a flying Gumba, you can then fly across the Mushroom Kingdom, albeit slowly and clunkily, as a brown, deformed mushroom cap. Early in the game, Mario encounters a sleeping dinosaur. I didn’t think anything of it (other than to avoid this sleeping dino at all costs), but when I accidentally hit the throw button, I found myself in control of the prehistoric animal. It was a matter of seconds before I was destroying terrain and stomping out Chain Chomps.

This kind of variety is exactly what makes Odyssey feel so fresh. It’s not a feeling that relies upon the initial surprise, either. Mario comes across dozens of other targets as the game progresses – most of which change the dynamic of the world and the way he traverses it. For instance, the Tropical Wiggler:

There are other surprises along the way, like Mario being able to capture a tank. Just as you’d expect, the tank allows Mario to blow up terrain and dangerous enemies. Suddenly, Odyssey transforms itself into a third-person shooter and does so with such finesse that I wish there were game modes built around it. Instead, these moments are fleeting and decidedly convivial.

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Cappy also serves as Mario’s primary resource for movement. The game has all of the fluidity of previous entries, especially Super Mario 64, with the added component of Mario being able to use the cap as a mini-trampoline. The best tight rope that Odyssey manages to walk is how complex the movement can be without ever forcing that on the player. It wasn’t until post-game moon collecting where I figured out most of the game’s techniques, and, even dozens of hours into the game, I’m far from mastering it.

The terrain is both visually appealing and meticulously placed with platforming in mind. It isn’t until later levels where the platforming becomes a little more obvious – with the contour of the land being more obviously placed. Earlier levels, specifically Cascade Kingdom and the infamous Metro Kingdom, are designed with experimentation in mind. Instead of distinct landing spots, everything on the map feels worthy of reach. Often times, this exploration is rewarded with moons or hard-to-find purple coins. Every time, there is a satisfaction in discovering a new sliver of what Super Mario Odyssey’s world has to offer.

Odyssey provides the most visually stunning and vibrant title in the franchise since Super Mario Galaxy. Every level distinguishes itself from the last, even if they all use a similar formula in level design. It’s worthy of note that Odyssey backs away from Nintendo’s use of visual tropes, with more of a focus on cultural and geographical themes. It fits the game well and helps set it stand out from predecessors.

On the technical side of things, the game sits at an acute 900p in the Switch’s docked mode and 720p handheld. There is scarcely a moment where the game feels inferior to the standard, but if you do take a moment to observe things closely, the textures can get pretty blurry and Mario’s stunning design – filled with dozens of different costumes – looks almost cut out from a different game. The upside is that the game hums at a steady 60 frames per second, adding additional fluidity to the game’s already smooth movement. In limited time with the handheld mode, the game held strong, albeit with a slightly lower level of detail and fidelity.

Odyssey pits Mario against a handful of boss fights spread out across the game. If there is a lingering issue with the franchise, it’s that it doesn’t know how to develop fun and interesting boss fights. Unfortunately, Odyssey doesn’t manage to break that trend – though it does improve. An overt problem with the game’s boss fights is that they all stick Mario in a single, rounded arena and feature a similar theme of jumping out of the way until it’s time to strike. There is little variation that comes with each fight, and none of it feels nearly as fresh as the rest of the game.

This is problematic because Odyssey is a game that breeds creativity and there is precious little of that going on in the boss fights. There are no dynamic environments at play (something that exists almost everywhere else) and the capture mechanic is all but forgotten.

Conversely, Super Mario Odyssey’s score sets a much higher bar. Headed by the wonderful and joyous “Jump Up, Super Star!”, which fits nicely with the game’s unrelenting optimism, the score is perhaps the best evidence I can give you that Odyssey is a celebratory event. Filled with many of the franchise’s best tunes and a handful of new ones, the OST beams with festivity. It’s a high mark, but it’s arguable that this is composer Koji Kondo’s best work to date.

Super Mario Odyssey is packed to the brim with ways to spend your time. One of my favorite modes in the game is Koopa Freerunning race, with global and friend leaderboards to match. Here, Mario is tasked with racing against a handful of Koopas to get from the beginning of the level to its (usually) highest point or peak. The copious amount of ways that you can get from point A to point B is enough of a thrill that I spent hours, and I mean hours, on each individual race.

This isn’t the only game mode with a leaderboard, however. Others include: a jump-rope contest that speeds up as you go, a one-on-one volleyball match against a skilled snail and a radio-controlled car that zooms through a small track. All of these can be done as many times as you’d like, whether it’s to beat your own best score or to fight for a world record. Just about every one is worth spending time with, even if it’s just to beat your friend’s record to earn bragging rights.  

Super Mario Odyssey is also the first Mario game to give world building a serious effort. Every NPC has their own quippy line or two, ranging from the outrageous, hilarious, and genuinely thought provoking. There doesn’t seem to be a greater motive at play, as most of what the NPCs have to offer is a momentary concern or thank you, but they tend to be well written and a fun distraction. Odyssey feels like a world that Mario would actually live in, with all of its quirks and charisma.

Want to see Mario in boxer briefs? Now is your chance.

Speaking of world building, each Kingdom in Odyssey has its own shop – fresh with costumes, mementos and moons. The costumes (including a very particular one that leaves Mario in his undergarments) are hilarious and fun to collect. They don’t have an immediate point, other than for visual flair, but there are some secrets to each costume that makes the collection process much more interesting. Each of these costumes or mementos cost an allotted amount of coins or purple coins. The former can be farmed and collected pretty easily, while the latter has a finite amount per level.   

Golden coins are lost whenever Mario dies, which is Odyssey’s version of punishing poor play. The absence of “game overs” is a welcomed change, but losing a handful of coins that can be easily regained sets up a weak consequence. It would have behooved the game to have a harder difficulty with more nuanced boss fights and a harsher penalty for dying, whatever that may be. This is one of the few times where Nintendo’s broader demographic may have prevented the best game possible.

It’s easy to look over Odyssey’s few flaws when the game is such a joy to play. Mario has a certain weight to him that makes every button press, every jump, its own adventure. There is so much to love about the game and its many different facets, that is should be a sure-fire contender for 2017’s game of the year. There are some really wonderful surprises that can’t be detailed in a review, making it an absolute must play. Odyssey is a celebration of its most famed mascot, using its capture mechanic to shine in ways that predecessors could not. Coupled with a great soundtrack, wonderful visuals and crisp movement, it’s not a stretch to say that this is Mario’s best showing yet.