Welcome to the Platformer where we talk about games in an extremely amateur but fun way! This post is in regards to my ultimate video game list where I’m on a journey to discover what my personal favourite game ever is. So, let’s talk about Super Mario Odyssey.

“The finest Mario adventure there is”

Super Mario Odyssey is a 3D platformer, to no one’s surprise, where you: jump, explore and invade the minds of innocent creatures to gain control of their bodies. The latter is what sets this Mario adventure apart from the rest because it introduces new gameplay styles, keeping the game moving at a fast pace. This is not the only way it stands apart and is arguably above its brothers galaxy and 64. This is Mario’s finest adventure due to; the effective way it; retains a player’s attention, how it mechanically encourages you to explore, and an aesthetic that makes the experience memorable.

I could not put the game down, I had the urge to save every kingdom, see who I could play as and discover one of the most truly fun experiences I’ve ever had. The game works at such a speed that there is no time to think or take a breath because of the constant introduction of new features. However, the game has to have a strong base and Mario has never controlled more fluidly with the ability to link up different move sets with the introduction of Cappy, a creature from the hat world who follows you around. When he sits on your hand you can throw him, once you throw him you can then jump on your new friend to reach new lengths. So your mind starts to wonder, what if I ground pound to get extra height, then use Cappy to go even higher?

#SuperMarioOdyssey #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/yxE6Bt7ji8
— Sebby (@Sebbyness) August 29, 2019

This process of discovering your abilities is like learning how to walk and the feeling of accomplishment is indescribable as you slowly become a platforming god. This feels so exciting because you are never prompted on how to evolve you just do if you’re an inquisitive player. By the end of the game, I was constantly challenging myself to get into harder and harder areas, all of this unnecessary to complete the game but the challenge is there if you want it, giving the game a perfect level of difficulty. By the end, I had such an elaborate skill set, I had to provide the game with my full attention as to not fall into a pit. So if you play Mario Odyssey, be like me! Stubborn, with the willingness to improve.

What would all these fun abilities be without the appropriate incentive? The aim of the game is to collect moons to power up your ship. Unlike previous games, where there were 4 or 5 collectables, Odyssey will have you collecting dozens of moons and dozens more if you are so inclined to keep collecting. This may sound like a lot of collecting and therefore tedious but they are all hidden so well with such variety that the game will have you as the player experimenting with different abilities and exploring under every rock in the world. The game will always reward being clever, challenging players to think laterally and logically resulting in an experience that never tires, even after collecting 400, I still get a rush of joy from finding a moon. For the first time, there are no lives in a Mario platformer. This is a huge, wonderful departure because it means I can explore to my heart’s content and attempt difficult leaps to get one more moon. There is also a fast travel system within the map to quickly get around so every moment of gameplay has a goal and not filled with moments of meandering because these maps aren’t the biggest but getting from one end of the map to the other means you actually see more of it even though you’re skipping the journey. Another mechanic that aids the exploration is the capture ability, because usually, the new character you control has new movement options for example if you’re a frog you can jump extra high or a statue with sunglasses allows you to see hidden paths thus you will take control of every liveable creature because maybe they’ll get you another moon.

Mario Odyssey has so many systems but they all work with fantastic synergy for one simple, explore the world.

This is the most beautiful game on the Nintendo Switch. This is the most beautiful Mario game. This is the most aesthetically impressive 3D platformer there has ever been with the variety in worlds, art styles and character designs. So after making a fun traversal system and designing mechanics to explore the world the last piece of the puzzle is the worlds themselves as Mario Odyssey delivers.

The game starts in a quaint black and white silhouetted world that somehow feels comforting because it doesn’t attack you with any harsh colours which are fantastic for an opener so when you approach the first level with moons to collect (which is dinosaur-themed, like omg) you get the sense of adventure, because it feels new and because the designers were brave enough to take that aspect away from you for a more euphoric experience afterwards.

From then on, every world is memorable by their aesthetic there’s a sand land, which is very normal for a Mario themed level, but they inject some Latino flavour by having things be themed after the day of the dead and as I Latino thought it was enthralling. There’s an ice level with a secret underground base with the cutest creatures where they have races, to a water level with beaches and a general holiday feel. Those are just the standard Mario themed levels, my favourites are the unique world such as a kingdom where forks and spoons reign supreme! An Asian themed level which celebrates Japan’s culture from which this game was created and the absolute best.

New Donk City

New Donk City, a love letter to Mario’s past within a small recreation of new and even though the regularly shaped humans at first seem off-putting, well it’s a strange place it’s meant to. The variety also stemmed from the slight changes in art style like the realistic aesthetic of New Donk city to the colourful pastel colours of the cooking world. It meant every time it was refreshing like starting a new game ready to explore.

The game is wonderful and does not get hampered by length because you make the game as long as you want it to be, so it finishes when you’re finished, it’s perfect. The difficulty is similar and the boss fights have a great curve of difficulty with the final boss facing four rabbits in a mech suit being a surprising yet satisfying test. Even though the story is what we know, Bowser captures Peach, it’s incredibly refreshing the world are a treat to explore and it’s possibly the most fun game ever and will be difficult to topple at #1.