I believe that at one point in our lives, everyone has bought into hype before, or rather everyone has been excited for some sort of movie or game to come out to the point where we believe it's going to be the best thing in the world. As reality sets in, we find out that the newest season of a show, or the anticipated sequel we've dreamed of isn't what we thought it was and that title is left to be blown and tossed into the wind. I can thankfully say that none of what I've mentioned applies to Super Mario Odyssey and it is the exact type of game I wanted. Before we begin, please keep in mind that these are my opinions. If you disagree with them, then that is okay and I would love to discuss it further with you.

The Gameplay

Normally we'd start with the story or characters first, but if you know Mario games at all then you should be familiar with the formula by now; Princess Peach is kidnapped by the evil Bowser and Mario must go and rescue her. The only difference here is Bowser is trying to force Peach to marry her this time, and that's about it.

What makes Super Mario Odyssey so great is the fluid control present in the game. Mario handles excellently and is perfect for traversing all of the bright and vibrant worlds set out before you. Thanks to the new hat mechanic, Mario has plenty of ways to jump from platform to platform, but it never gets too linear or restrictive. Nintendo is constantly providing ways for the player to traverse the level at his or her own pace. With the ability to take control of certain enemies, and by taking control of those enemies you gain their abilities, you have even more freedom and control to explore the world set before you.

Now, one complaint I have is that Mario has a LOT of different ways of traversing the world. Rolling down hills, back flips, leaping, dolphin diving, Mario has a lot of ways to go about his business. The problem here is since there is a lot of different moves for Mario, Nintendo has decided to map out certain abilities and attacks Mario has to motion controls. Meaning that if you want to do a spin attack with your controller, you have to awkwardly shake the controller for Mario to do that action instead of a simple button press. While the motions controls aren't terribly cumbersome, and you can get by without some of the fancier moves, it is still a little annoying.

Level Design

Perhaps the core of a good Mario game, the worlds available in Super Mario Odyssey are simply sublime. Almost every single one of these worlds are different from each other, and they demand to be explored and appreciated. Throughout each world, there are plenty of treasures and other mini challenges to keep the player entertained that you could easily spend hours lost and completely absorbed by the beauty of these worlds. Even after you get the required Moons from each level, there's still plenty left to be discovered and many wonderful memories to be made.

As you may have noticed, I mentioned that almost every world is unique from each other and as fun to explore, but that's not the case. There are some worlds that just aren't as much fun to explore as others. In fact, Super Mario Odyssey almost drops the ball by introducing the best world only half way through the game (which by the way is definitely New Donk City). The issue with this is that the rest of the worlds to come almost seem to pale into insignificance after the grandeur of New Donk City. Thankfully Super Mario Odyssey prevails and still has plenty of surprises in store for the player.

Conclusion

Super Mario Odyssey is one of those rare titles that defies expectations. While some could debate whether it's the best Mario game to date, it is my personal favorite of the franchise. When you play Super Mario Odyssey you just feel happy, and that's something not a lot of games can successfully manage to do. This is a must-own title for all Nintendo Switch owners and this game easily scores a 4/4. To conclude, I'd like to quote Videogamedunkey: "If you can play this game and not feel some sort of emotion come over you, wipe yourself off because you are dead."

Bonus Content

If you have some time on your hands, check out Videogamedunkey. He's a very unique kind of YouTuber and has some great content. As you might've guessed, he too has a review for this game, so make sure to check it out!\