Super Mario Odyssey is still one of my favorite games of all time so be aware of my bias when going into this review obviously but I have my reasons for loving this game. I have now played through the game around 5 times and each time I have played it, I loved it and yearn for the days when I experienced this game blind for the first time.
Super Mario Odyssey returns to the various small sandboxes that were beloved in both Super Mario 64 and Sunshine. While 64 failed to truly capture what was possible with those sandboxes as it effectively invented them and Sunshine could not quite capture the magic of 64's better levels, Super Mario Odyssey does its best to combine the two, as well as elements of every other Mario game before it. Taking the Sand Kingdom as an example, as I believe it's one of the best in the game, and allows me to analyze these levels without spoiling anything. The Sand Kingdom drops you off as it's being placed under attack by Bowser and it's up to you to figure out why the Kingdom has frozen over. To your right is a small pond area which you can explore freely with few enemies and a few platforms, also allowing you to get used to the ice mechanics, the flower springs, and even a few secrets to discover. To the left, is a vast wasteland filled with hills to run and jump over, and a few secrets to discover. But immediately in front of you and where most players will look and move towards a small, yet vibrant town, where villagers can explain the main conflict, how to get there and what you may face. This gives new players a direction to go and a framing as to what they should do while allowing experienced players to really go wherever, as the pool of poison or large structure in the background may already have the mind of an experienced player racing. The platforming is simple, yet open which lets experienced players make their own fun, while funneling new players so they do not feel lost. This seems to be a lesson that Super Mario 3D World had taught the devs, with its very linear platforming that left experienced players feeling alienated in certain levels. Finally, there are multiple challenges and even a boss beyond the main boss which leaves the world feeling fresh and explorable, and leaves more to do for completionists without alienating standard players.
Movement is literally heaven in this game and when it combines with the platforming. Mario moves at just the right pace, and with the variety of movement options at your disposal, it becomes hard to remember they even exist. Fortunately, there is a movement guide and Cappy reminds you of each move between kingdoms, which while it can be annoying for experienced players, it can be very helpful for newcomers and even intermediate players alike.
Of course, the new capture mechanic is one of the most important aspects of this game, and honestly, it's hard to miss the old Mario power-ups with these around. They offer so much variety to the already diverse moveset in the game that the movement never gets boring. Capturing something new will always see you have a fun new way to solve puzzles or cross the sandboxes. It does add probably the only negative part of this game, which is the motion controls, which start to get invasive when playing in handheld mode. Moving as fast as possible requires shaking the entire console in handheld mode, and making a save could have you throwing your remote around like an Uncle playing Wii Sports for the first time. While it's hard to say this ruins the game, it certainly brings down what was advertised of the Switch, which was an accessible console where you can play all the games you would play at home, on the go with no restrictions.
The presentation in this game has finally been mastered, as we are officially out of the period where Mario looks like a toy and more like a real person exploring real worlds. The environments are beautiful, the soundtrack is addicting, effects look so lifelike and it has never been more fun to watch Mario get hit by a cactus and get needles caught on his nose as it produces accurate jiggle physics.
This game is all-around beautiful and while I believe the new Bowser's Kingdom mode in the Super Mario 3D World port has topped it in terms of a fun sandbox Mario experience, I will always have good memories with this game. It will always be my immediate recommendation for a must-need Switch game.
----------------------------------Old Review Below--------------------------
What can I say about this game that has not been said before? This is quite literally the ultimate Mario experience, with so much content and quirks that it makes the game hard to hate at all. The gameplay is easily the best in the series, with solid fluid movement that makes the game fun to just run around in, which is good for a game with so much to do. You can run right to the end in the blink of an eye or you can stop and truly enjoy the world and it's environments. Each environment is filled with different content, characters and charm that it is an absolute blast to play this game. The collectibles are great fun to find and the amount you have to find is about 1/8 of the actual amount of collectibles in the game. Nothing feels restrictive, however some paths such as how you make your way through each area of the game can feel linear but rarely detracts from the overall experience. I completed and did everything this game has to offer about two years ago and I still return to it just to play around with the physics. The story is limited but good for a Mario game, while just barely missing the mark as the grand plot of Galaxy. Overall, this is an absolutely amazing game with some blemishes here and there but it's nothing that detracts from the overall experience.
Super Mario Odyssey returns to the various small sandboxes that were beloved in both Super Mario 64 and Sunshine. While 64 failed to truly capture what was possible with those sandboxes as it effectively invented them and Sunshine could not quite capture the magic of 64's better levels, Super Mario Odyssey does its best to combine the two, as well as elements of every other Mario game before it. Taking the Sand Kingdom as an example, as I believe it's one of the best in the game, and allows me to analyze these levels without spoiling anything. The Sand Kingdom drops you off as it's being placed under attack by Bowser and it's up to you to figure out why the Kingdom has frozen over. To your right is a small pond area which you can explore freely with few enemies and a few platforms, also allowing you to get used to the ice mechanics, the flower springs, and even a few secrets to discover. To the left, is a vast wasteland filled with hills to run and jump over, and a few secrets to discover. But immediately in front of you and where most players will look and move towards a small, yet vibrant town, where villagers can explain the main conflict, how to get there and what you may face. This gives new players a direction to go and a framing as to what they should do while allowing experienced players to really go wherever, as the pool of poison or large structure in the background may already have the mind of an experienced player racing. The platforming is simple, yet open which lets experienced players make their own fun, while funneling new players so they do not feel lost. This seems to be a lesson that Super Mario 3D World had taught the devs, with its very linear platforming that left experienced players feeling alienated in certain levels. Finally, there are multiple challenges and even a boss beyond the main boss which leaves the world feeling fresh and explorable, and leaves more to do for completionists without alienating standard players.
Movement is literally heaven in this game and when it combines with the platforming. Mario moves at just the right pace, and with the variety of movement options at your disposal, it becomes hard to remember they even exist. Fortunately, there is a movement guide and Cappy reminds you of each move between kingdoms, which while it can be annoying for experienced players, it can be very helpful for newcomers and even intermediate players alike.
Of course, the new capture mechanic is one of the most important aspects of this game, and honestly, it's hard to miss the old Mario power-ups with these around. They offer so much variety to the already diverse moveset in the game that the movement never gets boring. Capturing something new will always see you have a fun new way to solve puzzles or cross the sandboxes. It does add probably the only negative part of this game, which is the motion controls, which start to get invasive when playing in handheld mode. Moving as fast as possible requires shaking the entire console in handheld mode, and making a save could have you throwing your remote around like an Uncle playing Wii Sports for the first time. While it's hard to say this ruins the game, it certainly brings down what was advertised of the Switch, which was an accessible console where you can play all the games you would play at home, on the go with no restrictions.
The presentation in this game has finally been mastered, as we are officially out of the period where Mario looks like a toy and more like a real person exploring real worlds. The environments are beautiful, the soundtrack is addicting, effects look so lifelike and it has never been more fun to watch Mario get hit by a cactus and get needles caught on his nose as it produces accurate jiggle physics.
This game is all-around beautiful and while I believe the new Bowser's Kingdom mode in the Super Mario 3D World port has topped it in terms of a fun sandbox Mario experience, I will always have good memories with this game. It will always be my immediate recommendation for a must-need Switch game.
----------------------------------Old Review Below--------------------------
What can I say about this game that has not been said before? This is quite literally the ultimate Mario experience, with so much content and quirks that it makes the game hard to hate at all. The gameplay is easily the best in the series, with solid fluid movement that makes the game fun to just run around in, which is good for a game with so much to do. You can run right to the end in the blink of an eye or you can stop and truly enjoy the world and it's environments. Each environment is filled with different content, characters and charm that it is an absolute blast to play this game. The collectibles are great fun to find and the amount you have to find is about 1/8 of the actual amount of collectibles in the game. Nothing feels restrictive, however some paths such as how you make your way through each area of the game can feel linear but rarely detracts from the overall experience. I completed and did everything this game has to offer about two years ago and I still return to it just to play around with the physics. The story is limited but good for a Mario game, while just barely missing the mark as the grand plot of Galaxy. Overall, this is an absolutely amazing game with some blemishes here and there but it's nothing that detracts from the overall experience.