Now that the game is a week old, has sold 2 million copies in it's tree day launch window and I've spent ample time with it, I feel comfortable talking about Mario's latest adventure, one so many of us have been impatiently waiting for, Super Mario Odyssey.
Incoming unpopular opinion. I enjoyed Sonic Unleashed. I don't just mean the day stages but the night stages as well. The Japanese title for Sonic Unleashed is called Sonic World Adventure because all of that game's stages are based on real world locations. I loved the world traveling aspect of that game and it is one of the reasons I love Super Mario Odyssey so much. It is one of the main reasons I avoided spoilers as much as possible because I wanted to discover the kingdoms on my own.
The Switch is not as powerful as the PS4 or XBO. That is no secret. And yet because Nintendo knows the ins and outs of their own hardware, they are able to make games for their systems that look stunning. Kingdoms in Super Mario Odyssey are an incredible sight to behold. I cannot tell you the number of times I stopped in Cascade Kingdom to look at the blades of grass, the details in the mountains, that triceratops fossil, or gaze out at the many beautiful waterfalls. New Donk City is filled with towering skyscrapers, surrounded by a backdrop of buildings that, sadly you cannot go to. Even so, New Donk City itself is one big, metropolitan playground that is every bit as fun to run and jump through as the trailers for Super Mario Odyssey suggested.
I am a huge fan of any game that lets you change your clothes. As iconic as Mario's overalls getup is, it is extremely welcoming to be able to mix and match so many different costumes. I can triple jump as Dr. Mario. I can run around the dessert in a sombrero and a poncho. I saved New Donk City from Bowser's crazy Mecha Wiggler as an aviator. Mario has always been skilled in many areas in the numerous spin off titles, so it's nice to see him sport the clothes of so many different professions. 1000 coins is very much worth the price to run around in boxer shorts. You haven't truly lived until you've done it.
The little things make about Super Mario Odyssey make it infinitely more fun for me. Little touches such as Mario dancing whenever he's close enough to a stereo. Or that he sit down and take a breather whenever you've got him standing on a chair. You can play fetch using Cappy with the friendly pups you meet. The Odyssey, Mario's ship can be decorated on the outside with stickers from each kingdom traveled to and the inside with statues, plushies and other memorabilia. Just going from kingdom to kingdom, exploring and Power Moon collecting is fun on it's own and would have warranted all the praise Super Mario Odyssey is getting, but this kinda thing gives you an incentive to hunt down each kingdom's currency. I think the Dorrie plush is my favorite.
I'm not saying Super Mario Odyssey is the best Super Mario game ever. It is also way too early to call it my favorite Mario game or the best game of all-time. However, it is certainly one of the Switch's best games, one of 2017's greatest releases and could very well be the best sand box style Super Mario game we've had thus far. Super Mario Odyssey is a grand adventure in ever sense of the world and I really, really want/need to get back to playing it. It could be years before globetrotting gets any better than this.
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