This is my second favorite Mario game and my absolute favorite mainline title. More than that, I think it's objectively the best Mario game ever made, and one of the most perfect games ever made, period.
This game is a love letter to Mario, fully embracing his history from early console gaming to today. However, it doesn't mire itself in that history, but instead builds something new. It really feels like everything that's been learned from Mario games of the past has been taken into account and built upon into a mechanically honed, delightfully designed adventure. There's so many nooks and crannies to explore and exploring them is a delight. Each world is dense with secrets and the game takes the fetters off early, allowing you to spend as much time doing whatever you want in each world between the plot. More than that, finishing the plot of each world unlocks even more secrets and makes changes to the environment, giving incentive to go back and explore those changes. Even more than /that/, finishing the game gives the option to unlock even more moons and secrets and platforming challenges in each world.
Each world is cleverly designed and even after finishing the game I kept finding entirely new areas I had never seen before with even more things to do.
This game rewards you for playing it, but just exploring the worlds is a reward in and of itself.
This is a game that is so approachable for both children and adults, and even offers an option for couch co-op play. The difficultly curve is so well-balamced and the game helps you improve your skills using its game design.
Even for very young children, I can imagine just giving them the reigns and letting them run around the wide open levels, playing with all the creatures they can possess and just enjoying the scenery. The game is also accessible because there are so MANY moons to collect and so few that you NEED to collect that if you're struggling with a specific platformer segment or puzzle type you can easily skip it and find a moon that's easier to get to.
It helps that this game is gorgeous and runs without a hitch on the Switch. The polish really shines off of every square inch of the detailed environments and character design.
I heavily recommend this game for any interested player, with the caveat that those who haven't played a 3D platformer may struggle a bit in some of the more vertical worlds. It's just unrelentingly fun.
This game is a love letter to Mario, fully embracing his history from early console gaming to today. However, it doesn't mire itself in that history, but instead builds something new. It really feels like everything that's been learned from Mario games of the past has been taken into account and built upon into a mechanically honed, delightfully designed adventure. There's so many nooks and crannies to explore and exploring them is a delight. Each world is dense with secrets and the game takes the fetters off early, allowing you to spend as much time doing whatever you want in each world between the plot. More than that, finishing the plot of each world unlocks even more secrets and makes changes to the environment, giving incentive to go back and explore those changes. Even more than /that/, finishing the game gives the option to unlock even more moons and secrets and platforming challenges in each world.
Each world is cleverly designed and even after finishing the game I kept finding entirely new areas I had never seen before with even more things to do.
This game rewards you for playing it, but just exploring the worlds is a reward in and of itself.
This is a game that is so approachable for both children and adults, and even offers an option for couch co-op play. The difficultly curve is so well-balamced and the game helps you improve your skills using its game design.
Even for very young children, I can imagine just giving them the reigns and letting them run around the wide open levels, playing with all the creatures they can possess and just enjoying the scenery. The game is also accessible because there are so MANY moons to collect and so few that you NEED to collect that if you're struggling with a specific platformer segment or puzzle type you can easily skip it and find a moon that's easier to get to.
It helps that this game is gorgeous and runs without a hitch on the Switch. The polish really shines off of every square inch of the detailed environments and character design.
I heavily recommend this game for any interested player, with the caveat that those who haven't played a 3D platformer may struggle a bit in some of the more vertical worlds. It's just unrelentingly fun.