Review: Mario Odyssey, I take my hat off to you!

Only at the end of last week was I praising Mario Odyssey, in such a short time I've finished the main story and have now started scavenging for as many Power Moons as my sanity will allow. 
Mario Odyssey is bursting with Charm, it's beautiful worlds hooked me in and at the end of each session of play I was constantly teasing myself; "one more Moon, you can do it!" It's quite an addictive game and that's thanks in part to it being such an easy game to get in to. Some might say too easy, but then we should remember Mario isn't Dark Souls and it is aimed at a younger gaming demographic. I like to think of Mario as being similar to Disney's Pixar movies, it's just as enjoyable to children as it is to adults. I can say that with some certainty, as a man who has watched some very enjoyable films with my kids, but I'm already on a tangent. No more, on to the review!

PREMISE

Mario Odyssey forgoes traditional levels and returns back to the open level design that it pioneered back on the Nintendo 64. Mario Odyssey has 16 worlds to explore however not all are as large as each other and several are in fact rather small, but there is a lot to see.
Odyssey also swaps out Stars for Power Moons, which power Mario's aircraft the Odyssey, (see what they did there?) which transports him to the various worlds. Things are as clear cut as before, instead of a set amount a moons for all worlds, each world can anywhere between 20 and 70 Power Moons! Collecting the Moons is similar to a treasure hunt, quite a few can be collected through general exploration and environmental interactions, with only a select few indicated as objectives in the world. These objectives could be defeating a boss, winning a race or fixing some problem in the world.


As the story progresses you are told how many Power Moons you require before you can proceed to the next world and a couple of times you can choose which world you'll visit next. It's a very structured process to the final showdown with Bowser, once you have completed the game the worlds expand and you can move on to collecting additional Moons.
There's no need to revisit old worlds to gather enough Moons, the game's linear story structure allows players to see almost all the worlds in a single play through. 

CONTROLS
If someone asked me to rate the controls in Odyssey, I'd say an 8/10. I mentioned before that Mario feels really precise this time around and I stick to that. There are a couple of mechanics that I don't like, for instance, Mario must run a couple of steps before he reaches running speed and is able to jump at a reasonable height and distance. On average, not an issue but when it comes to precise platforming, this mechanic feels like lag and I didn't like compensating for it.
I also found some hit detection to be off, mainly when controlling some of the enemies. The last of my complaints is the physics, every now and then the physics really do act against you in some platforming sections and it makes it difficult to predict how Mario is going to react and that's an unnecessary stress. 

Otherwise, Mario is at his best. Gone are the floaty controls and slippery movement. He also comes with some new skills thanks to Cappy! Mario can fling Cappy at enemies, faraway blocks and coins. Mario also has a few advanced moves to master, you can fling Cappy in mid-air and perform a diving lunge at the hat to cover large gaps, fling it out in front of Mario and jump on it for an extra boost and perform a rolling attack. Quite a few of Mario's classic moves are still here as well; reverse somersault, triple jump and the crunching lunge.

OVERALL GAMEPLAY
Each world is really well designed and they're an absolute joy to explore. As mentioned before there is a plentiful abundance of Moons in each world and so you never end up getting stuck trying to proceed on with the game. The linear structure of the game's story serves a great purpose, introducing players to the game and giving them an clear cut objective that allows anyone to jump in and have fun.

Completing the game opens up additional Power Moons to find and there are rewards for collecting as many Moons as you can. You can unlock extra worlds if you collect several hundred Moons, which I found to be a big incentive to continue playing after the credits rolled. If there is one thing Odyssey does very well, it's encouraging you to dive back in and explore.

There aren't many enemy types to confront, but the game paces your encounters so well that you never find yourself getting bored and there is at least one unique enemy type per world. 
The majority of your enemies can also be controlled when Mario flings Cappy at them, which opens up new methods of exploration and also ways to collect Moons. I especially liked it when you have to stack up as many Goombas as possible to either meet a lady Goomba (which rewards you with a Moon) or to step on a weighted switch. It's a really simple idea but so pleasing and the game does this with each unique controllable enemy.

You'd think Odyssey is a platforming game, but to be honest it's first and foremost an exploration game. There is platforming, sure but it's often for general traversal. Some Moons are obtained through strict courses that are focused on the platforming skill and they do get quite tricky. But if you were hoping for a game that plays like a series of assault courses you might be disappointed. I've not explored a world in Odyssey that felt as complicated as Clock Tower world or Rainbow World from Mario 64 and no platforming sections as relentless as the final levels in Galaxy. 

Difficulty wise, this is one of the easiest Mario games we've had. In part it's thanks to the less constricting practise of collecting Moons. Bosses are also really simple and straight forward and almost always involve using Mario's new pal Cappy. Some late game encounters are significantly more tricky than the average Broodal battles, but a skilled gamer isn't going to hit a stumbling block.

For the younger audience however, things will be tricky. My four and half year old daughter struggles to do more than run around a level, so I imagine kids six to ten are going to find the game a good solid challenge. So expect to be asked for help on this one if your young children are playing. 

PRESENTATION
Colourful worlds are ever pleasing to the eye. There's a simplistic beauty to each world, Odyssey selects the best pieces of modern technology to give players one truly gorgeous looking game. It runs at a steady frame rate docked and looks smooth on the TV. In handheld mode the frame rate seems to be locked to a lower rate and some objects get a little jagged but it still looks very good. 
Odyssey has a very varied colour palette that keeps the aesthetics fresh throughout. Each world is unique from the other and that's thanks to broad colour range and interesting designs choices. Characters are full of well, character! Everything has a place in Odyssey, nothing sticks out in my mind as a negative. I think it looks absolute perfect as it is!

The menus and HUD are well made, they don't subtract from anything you're doing and for the first time in my mind you have access to a map. It's quite basic but does pinpoint locations for Moons, although it gives you no clue as to how high or low they are. It's a good thing in my opinion because it means you don't end up playing through the map, constantly opening and closing it, which would definetely get tiring. 


The camera is well behaved, I never struggled with it getting stuck behind objects in the environment and it kept a reasonable distance from Mario, which again helps stop the Camera from getting caught up in the environment. I do wish it responded a bit more quicker, it's sluggish to manually control but that's really a small gripe.

SOUND
The theme tune is currently ringing in my ears, but that may be because my kids wanted me to play it over and over on youtube! Overall sound design is fine. I can't actually remember any of the music for levels, so nothing is as memorable as previous games. Sound effects are spot on for a Mario game, nothing too repetitive or intrusive to distract or irritate you, which is always a big deal to me in a game. 
There's classic tunes and updated sound effects in Odyssey that'll immediately get that nostalgic part of your brain tingling. I like how Mario games have always kept a few classic tunes in each new game, it's always warming to hear those familiar tracks again. 
One joy for me is that although all the characters speak in gibberish, I never found it irritating like say, Okami or Banjo Kazooie. That both bleat at you no end. Another nod to Nintendo's sensibilities in design.

REPLAYABILITY AND LONGEVITY 
It took me around eight to nine hours to complete Odyssey's story mode, for younger or less skilled players you can expect to see around eleven and twelve hours. If you set out to see as much as you can and take your time I would imagine you'll see anywhere between sixteen to twenty hours.
Where you'll see the biggest returns in Odyssey in value for money is if you set out to collect as many Moons as possible. A Completionist could expect to see play times as high as thirty hours, depending on your skill (and sanity) level. 

Replayability wise, it's doubtful that you'll hit the "new game" option as soon as you complete Odyssey but it's such an easy game to pick up and play, that you'll no doubt delve into it again at some point. The fact it's also on the Switch is a huge bonus, I couldn't imagine nothing better than playing some Odyssey for a couple of hours when your waiting at an airport or something similar. The versatility of the Switch really does expand the viability of it's games. 

FINALLY
Mario Odyssey is the Mario formula distilled, bottled and sold on the Switch. I think it's the damn nearest perfect Mario game we've ever had and I don't say that lightly. If you haven't played a platformer in a long time and want to see if you've still got the moves, you can't go wrong with Odyssey.

This is a must-buy game for the Switch and furthermore, one for keeping. If you're thinking about buying this for your kids, I would do so. It's a great game that appeals to so many people. You're kids will thank you for it.

I hope this review has been helpful to anyone whose been thinking about picking up Mario's latest outing. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. And if you've played Odyssey, what do you think about it? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

As always, please hit the +1 and if you like what you read please follow the blog. 

Have a great week everybody! 

Game Diary: Okami HD and Super Mario Odyssey

Well Christmas has come and gone. I hope you've all had an enjoyable one! I know I did, I've got the increased waist size to prove it! I was fortunate to get the opportunity to play Super Mario Odyssey this Christmas, and I gotta say it's been a joy to play. It's not been the only game on my roster this past week, I've been sharing it with another:

Before before Christmas I received Okami HD from my rental service. I've got a bit of a history with Okami, in  the past I followed it's development on the PS2 and then started it in earnest but then I got distracted with something else. I even tried again some years later but only got past the first boss before running out of steam. For all it's visual flair, tight controls and interesting setting I just couldn't get the morale to complete it. Was Okami style over substance?

When I spotted the HD port on my rental list I made a promise to myself, to finally finish Okami and put it to bed. Some may think it's a shallow reason to play a game, to say I finished it. But it's great for closure and over the years I have learned that I get most of my enjoyment from finishing a game than say, collecting 100% of all items.


So here I am, four hours into Okami HD and I'm past the last point I gave up at. I have to say it does feel aimless. Your next objective is stated in a elongated section of dialogue but other than clearing up the cursed areas of the world we have no villain (other than I assume the reappearance of Orochi) and we're just sort of running from place to place clearing up curses. This could be a fullfilling objective if the drama felt palpable but I feels like a generic errand, one big fetch quest. Lifting the curse from any area requires very little effort on my part so far and I just feel like I'm on a voyage of collecting skills and abilities.


I would be more engaged with the game's story, but the dev's choice of having every piece of dialogue hummed at you in a variety of annoying tones, means I don't have the patience to sit through the text. I so wished they'd had subtitled Japanese voice work or no voice work at all, but it is really grating to hear those noises. It's not like this game is dialogue light either, there's piles of the stuff! So, this has resulted in me skipping as many dialogue segments as possible which unfortunately has disconnected me from the plot.

I'm interested to see what else there is to experience in Okami, but it's not the gripping adventure I thought it would be. But I'm feeling very confident I'll have it beat this time. I guess Okami is my white wolf... no good?

Now I get to talk about the little Plumber with the red cap; Mario Odyssey is a refreshing game. Not that it's breaking the mold or anything, but it's just refreshing to play a colourful and adventurous romp. I find Mario Odyssey a very relaxing and easy game to get into.

The pacing is really good in Odyssey, unlike previous main console Mario games, collecting a Moon (this game's version of a Star) doesn't boot you out the level. You get to run around and collect the Moons as you wish. The game always lets you know how many Moons you need to proceed to the next stage and I think it's good that not every Moon is a mission in and of itself to obtain, you can collect a fair few just generally exploring and completing minor puzzles or platforming sections. 

I love Odyssey's controls. They are so precise, much more so that previous games. I normally find Mario is quite a floaty character to control and he normally slides a bit too much on normal terrain, but he feels so tight in Odyssey. I have yet to feel frustrated due to Odyssey's controls. Probably one of the biggest praises I could lavish on it.

It's also such a colourful and vibrant game, it has a great deal of energy in it. The worlds are so well designed aesthetically and for playability. This game feels like Mario has been distilled and bottled. The best criticism I have is that the bosses are a little too easy, but at the end of the day this a game aimed primarily at a younger audience and that's a good thing. I can give the controller to my four year old Daughter and she can play and enjoy Mario, as she should. It's still engaging to me as an adult, especially when it comes to obtaining the well hidden Moons.

So far so good, I'm hoping to make a huge dent in Okami by the end of next week and I imagine I will have wrapped up Mario Odyssey by then as well. Which will nicely fulfill my "game completed" urges.

As always I hope you enjoyed this blog entry and what have you been playing this past week? What are you looking forward to playing? I am always interested to know, so feel free to leave a comment.

Have a great weekend everybody!