It's time to jump up in the air once more with Nintendo's renowned moustachioed mascot as he dives deep into the minds of Goombas, Bullet Bills and Koopa Troopers in a bid to rescue Princess Peach yet again from the avaricious paws and claws of Bowser. And no, mind possession isn't a metaphor here, Mario has the ability to vacuum himself into the brains of just about every creature impeding his path donning a hat whose sister has also been swiped by the nefarious Koopa King. Super Mario: Odyssey is without a doubt a game brimmed full of ideas, charm and fresh gameplay innovations that it's hard to believe all the excitement from its E3 2017 trailer has been distilled into an 8 hour game. At once preposterously inventive and absolutely amazing, Super Mario Odyssey is an incredible achievement, bursting with life on Nintendo's latest hardware and is an unbridled joy from beginning to end.
Odyssey's adventure unwraps in a typically threadbare fashion, with Mario letting Princess Peach slip through his fingers (again), as Bowser abducts her to plan a huge wedding between the two in the Mushroom Kingdom's own bespoke interpretation of Beauty and The Beast. After being unceremoniously dumped from Bowser's airship, Mario is left to his own devices to Frisbee his iconic red hat onto the squishy head of an amphibian to turn into one. Along the way Mario will rub elbows with a quartet of rabbit wedding planners known as Broodals-who are essentially Bowser's wedding planners-but they're merely glorified henchmen and woman. While the set up and general narrative weave is nothing out of the ordinary, Odyssey at least spruces the pageantry up with a white wedding and Bowser wearing a suit that fits him snugly.
Accessibility is king in Mario's latest 3D adventure. Leaping into Odyssey feels like bombing into a swimming pool in the glimmering pristine sunshine or tumbling and bobbling into a plastic ball pit-meaning there's a relaxing ease and rhythm to the gameplay, eager to let you throw your hair down whether stomping and thumping through tranquil island grounds as a T-Rex or wreaking bomb-laden havoc as a tank, without any laborious objectives to worry about-allowing your curiosity and discovery to lead the way. Cappy throws up advice in speech bubbles to guide you, Captain Toad can be seen standing around offering you markers to hidden power moons for a miniature fee, and healing hearts are always in abundance. You can't lose lives in Odyssey either, instead you get a small monetary hit to the amount of gold coins you've collected-so Odyssey in about as an inviting as you can possibly get for a Nintendo platformer.
Odyssey's adventure unwraps in a typically threadbare fashion, with Mario letting Princess Peach slip through his fingers (again), as Bowser abducts her to plan a huge wedding between the two in the Mushroom Kingdom's own bespoke interpretation of Beauty and The Beast. After being unceremoniously dumped from Bowser's airship, Mario is left to his own devices to Frisbee his iconic red hat onto the squishy head of an amphibian to turn into one. Along the way Mario will rub elbows with a quartet of rabbit wedding planners known as Broodals-who are essentially Bowser's wedding planners-but they're merely glorified henchmen and woman. While the set up and general narrative weave is nothing out of the ordinary, Odyssey at least spruces the pageantry up with a white wedding and Bowser wearing a suit that fits him snugly.
Accessibility is king in Mario's latest 3D adventure. Leaping into Odyssey feels like bombing into a swimming pool in the glimmering pristine sunshine or tumbling and bobbling into a plastic ball pit-meaning there's a relaxing ease and rhythm to the gameplay, eager to let you throw your hair down whether stomping and thumping through tranquil island grounds as a T-Rex or wreaking bomb-laden havoc as a tank, without any laborious objectives to worry about-allowing your curiosity and discovery to lead the way. Cappy throws up advice in speech bubbles to guide you, Captain Toad can be seen standing around offering you markers to hidden power moons for a miniature fee, and healing hearts are always in abundance. You can't lose lives in Odyssey either, instead you get a small monetary hit to the amount of gold coins you've collected-so Odyssey in about as an inviting as you can possibly get for a Nintendo platformer.
The stages and challenges are always fair and generous, steady and achievable road bumps demonstrating that putting a smile on your face is Odyssey's foremost concern-and it does so splendidly and plentifully. Collecting power moons to gas up the Odyssey airship is your only true story-based objective as it is your sole transport option when voyaging from world-to-world. Each world requires a specified number of power moons and many can be captured by solving a puzzle, completing challenges or in exceptional cases-buying them from the Crazy Cap shop. When you're done collecting all the moons, it's time to visit another world to progress in the story, but chances are there are droves of moons you haven't collected yet, so you're free to head back to another kingdom to scoop them up as and when you please.
Speaking of worlds, Odyssey crams in an eclectic mixture of outstanding dream-like worlds (hence the game's name), to its repertoire, so luscious and idyllic they should all be included as holiday postcards to your grandparents. The ensemble is comprised of kingdoms like the Sand Kingom, Lake Kingdom, Wooded Kingdom, Cascade Kingdom-all easily identifiable by the elements and behaviours they possess, as well as being easy to remember.
New Donk City is the centrepiece and stands out as the most awe-inspiring world in Odyssey despite its obvious similarities to New York City-but it takes Mario to the concrete jungle-a place Nintendo's premier mascot has yet to tread with its bustling busy streets, yellow taxis and skyscrapers-truly a sensational space for Mario to ply his platforming skill-especially when calamitous happenings ensue on a moped.
Special mentions should go to the Seaside Kingdom for its blissful summer holiday feel, the Cascade Kingdom for making a dinosaur rampage a true certified highlight, and the Snow Kingdom for the sheer chills it provides as you watch Mario shiver uncomfortably in minus temperatures-someone burn him a fireplace, heat up some marshmallows and get him a warm blanket.
Menus in Odyssey aren't particularly noteworthy apart from Mario beaming smile, but admittedly navigating them to select the world you want to blast off to makes Odyssey appear compartmental in structure, but you'll soon forget when its swarm of honeysuckle-sweet pleasantries soothingly engulf you. Likewise the ease of Odyssey may roll the eyes and agitate those yearning for substance in difficulty-but this Mario game is accommodating for all and its memorable moments will infinitely eclipse potentially alienating step ups in challenge.
Speaking of worlds, Odyssey crams in an eclectic mixture of outstanding dream-like worlds (hence the game's name), to its repertoire, so luscious and idyllic they should all be included as holiday postcards to your grandparents. The ensemble is comprised of kingdoms like the Sand Kingom, Lake Kingdom, Wooded Kingdom, Cascade Kingdom-all easily identifiable by the elements and behaviours they possess, as well as being easy to remember.
New Donk City is the centrepiece and stands out as the most awe-inspiring world in Odyssey despite its obvious similarities to New York City-but it takes Mario to the concrete jungle-a place Nintendo's premier mascot has yet to tread with its bustling busy streets, yellow taxis and skyscrapers-truly a sensational space for Mario to ply his platforming skill-especially when calamitous happenings ensue on a moped.
Special mentions should go to the Seaside Kingdom for its blissful summer holiday feel, the Cascade Kingdom for making a dinosaur rampage a true certified highlight, and the Snow Kingdom for the sheer chills it provides as you watch Mario shiver uncomfortably in minus temperatures-someone burn him a fireplace, heat up some marshmallows and get him a warm blanket.
Menus in Odyssey aren't particularly noteworthy apart from Mario beaming smile, but admittedly navigating them to select the world you want to blast off to makes Odyssey appear compartmental in structure, but you'll soon forget when its swarm of honeysuckle-sweet pleasantries soothingly engulf you. Likewise the ease of Odyssey may roll the eyes and agitate those yearning for substance in difficulty-but this Mario game is accommodating for all and its memorable moments will infinitely eclipse potentially alienating step ups in challenge.
Odyssey is a jolly, jovial joyride, spirited in a ceaseless enthusiasm you cannot negate or ignore. The infectious nature of Odyssey carries over to the wonderment abound in its hat hurling and bounce bopping. Mario's old cap was flattened by Bowser, so when he happens upon a spectral hat comically too large for Mario's petite little cranium, the red Mario hat is magically refurnished and augmented with possibly the coolest quirk ever seen in a Mario game-the ability to consume the bodies of any living, breathing and moving entity. This one feature presents Mario with oodles of possibilities, just fling your hat at a goomba and you'll actively play as the brown little grunts and make goomba ladders so you can reach hidden areas where tucked away secrets can be unearthed. If you don't fancy the pleasures of goomba tower building, then you may want to turn a platforming challenge to your advantage by warping into the mind of a Tropical Wriggler and using its extending elasticated body to swivel-reach towards otherwise inaccessible areas, or you may like to take control of a Pokio and use its beak to slingshot up and to the side of walls. There's an overload of ways you can play with Cappy, and it's really up to your imagination and curiosity as to what your superpowered cap is (ahem) cap-able of.
Odyssey doesn't forget Mario's past either with an array of classic 2D Mario segments once you get sucked into the titular green pipes and become minus a dimension. Flat Mario still retains the running, jumping and coin-collecting you know and love but with greater flare and far less predictable and unique-they're as bountifully and delightfully creative as the rest of the game. There's a particular part of the game where you tackle one of these throwback stages set to music in New Donk City, and it's without a doubt the zenith and a thorough representation and celebration of how stonkingly festive, jubilant and brilliant Odyssey is.
Boss battles retain their quirkiness with the likes of a purple octopus clinging stubbornly to a glass, those pushover wedding gangsters known as The Broodals, and a chicken chef who wouldn't look out of place in Chicken Run and yes this fella isn't the main course but is the main boss in a food-based kingdom-the irony is delicious indeed. Boshing the head of each boss you come across is still the main way to finish most of them off, but the different variants of boss battle and how to reach their noggins isn't always so easy.
Odyssey doesn't forget Mario's past either with an array of classic 2D Mario segments once you get sucked into the titular green pipes and become minus a dimension. Flat Mario still retains the running, jumping and coin-collecting you know and love but with greater flare and far less predictable and unique-they're as bountifully and delightfully creative as the rest of the game. There's a particular part of the game where you tackle one of these throwback stages set to music in New Donk City, and it's without a doubt the zenith and a thorough representation and celebration of how stonkingly festive, jubilant and brilliant Odyssey is.
Boss battles retain their quirkiness with the likes of a purple octopus clinging stubbornly to a glass, those pushover wedding gangsters known as The Broodals, and a chicken chef who wouldn't look out of place in Chicken Run and yes this fella isn't the main course but is the main boss in a food-based kingdom-the irony is delicious indeed. Boshing the head of each boss you come across is still the main way to finish most of them off, but the different variants of boss battle and how to reach their noggins isn't always so easy.
How can one go far in a review of this gorgeous beaut without commenting on its ravishing art style? Odyssey's sparkling themed worlds are undeniably picturesque, the textures bleed with a shiny sheen you cannot overlook, the game is glamorous and stunning apropos of taking a dip in a swimming pool during a sweltering hot summer, except replace the chlorine clotted water with swirling ripples of glee and the semi-naked public with the diverse range of creatures of 3D Mario games-in short it's a fiesta of colour you'll be proud to be a part of.
And no you shouldn't forget to talk about the soundtrack either because it's off the chains this time. The catchiest theme in videogames-Jump Up Super Star is sung by Pauline and has to be the cheeriest theme song in any videogame ever. There are complementary themes for every world in Odyssey and they're truly inspiring. The title theme is majestically adventurous and epic. Others like Lake Kingdom's chiming melody are peaceful and harmoniously elegant. Nintendo knows how to make Mario games feel all-consuming and magical and they've hit the stratosphere again with Odyssey.
Effortlessly and masterfully crafted by the quintessential videogame pioneers over at Nintendo, Super Mario: Odyssey is a spellbinding and magically magnificent platformer. Everything that has put Nintendo on the map as a videogame company is here in its fullest force. The legacy of Mario is maintained in thrillingly inventive fashion due to the unobtrusive passion of its creators, but new frontiers have been bridged to update and modernise the 3D Mario experience, ensuring that your curiosity and your enjoyment are constantly thrust to the forefront. Cappy is possibly the greatest idea Nintendo has thought of for a Mario game to date, as morphing into the bodies of the numerous critters and creatures found in the worlds Mario visits is a mesmerising delight. The accessibility to which Odyssey endears itself with makes the act of playing universal and open to all. The soundtrack and the visuals are the best Nintendo have yet produced too-making you feel like you're on an enriching escapade at all times. So many positives can be taken away from Super Mario: Odyssey, but what is unquestionable is that this latest offering makes Nintendo Switch immediately alluring and stamps a seal of approval on wherever Mario heads next-because if Odyssey is anything to go by-we should all follow him into the future.
And no you shouldn't forget to talk about the soundtrack either because it's off the chains this time. The catchiest theme in videogames-Jump Up Super Star is sung by Pauline and has to be the cheeriest theme song in any videogame ever. There are complementary themes for every world in Odyssey and they're truly inspiring. The title theme is majestically adventurous and epic. Others like Lake Kingdom's chiming melody are peaceful and harmoniously elegant. Nintendo knows how to make Mario games feel all-consuming and magical and they've hit the stratosphere again with Odyssey.
Effortlessly and masterfully crafted by the quintessential videogame pioneers over at Nintendo, Super Mario: Odyssey is a spellbinding and magically magnificent platformer. Everything that has put Nintendo on the map as a videogame company is here in its fullest force. The legacy of Mario is maintained in thrillingly inventive fashion due to the unobtrusive passion of its creators, but new frontiers have been bridged to update and modernise the 3D Mario experience, ensuring that your curiosity and your enjoyment are constantly thrust to the forefront. Cappy is possibly the greatest idea Nintendo has thought of for a Mario game to date, as morphing into the bodies of the numerous critters and creatures found in the worlds Mario visits is a mesmerising delight. The accessibility to which Odyssey endears itself with makes the act of playing universal and open to all. The soundtrack and the visuals are the best Nintendo have yet produced too-making you feel like you're on an enriching escapade at all times. So many positives can be taken away from Super Mario: Odyssey, but what is unquestionable is that this latest offering makes Nintendo Switch immediately alluring and stamps a seal of approval on wherever Mario heads next-because if Odyssey is anything to go by-we should all follow him into the future.
STORY: 7/10
GAMEPLAY: 10/10
PRESENTATION: 10/10
LIFESPAN: 9/10
SCORE: 10/10
Masterfully delightful, infectiously endearing and one of the most joyful and blissful Nintendo games ever made, Super Mario: Odyssey is a playful triumph which indeed has to be played to be believed. Caps off to you Mario!