I have always been a long fan of Nintendo games, specifically ones with the classic character Mario. When I first saw the Nintendo Switch reveal trailer a little bit over a year ago, I saw a tiny glimpse of Mario once again, but in a 3D world. We’ve had a couple of 3D Mario games such as Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario 3D world. But the one flaw I’ve had with all the games is that none of them really let you go anywhere. Sure it’s 3D, but none of the games let you truly explore.

When Super Mario Odyssey was first revealed, I was so excited. We were finally getting my dream Mario game, a game that let you do anything in an open world. We could finally let Mario explore vast worlds and interact with things. And the entire internet was excited too. People were so excited that there was finally a proper 3D Mario game. As more trailer came, we saw that Mario could capture enemies, control the Odyssey, and could finally be taken anywhere with the Nintendo Switch.

Finally, on October 27, Super Mario Odyssey was released. with all the media hyping the game, fans were very excited to start playing. The game itself did wonderful, getting  highest rated video game of 2017, and made it to the top ten highest rated games of all time. When many people started picking up the game, they found many old memories hidden, as well as new memories made. While the game was h

Super Mario Odyssey is all about hyped up a lot, it still delivered and exceed expectations. Super Mario Odyssey is in my opinion the best game of 2017.

The Story

Super Mario Odyssey is a story about Bowser yet again taking Princess peach, only this time, they are preparing for a wedding. Princess Peach has Tiara, a character from the Cap Kingdom, which Cappy, another character must save from Bowser. Along with Bowser, the four Broodals are trying to plan out the weeding by getting sacred items from multiple kingdoms. Mario enlists the help of Cappy, and together they must save Princess Peach and Tiara. In order to go to different kingdoms, he must take control of the  Odyssey, a machine which is fueled by Power Moons.

Fun Mechanics

The standard controls in the game are fantastic, making the game feel simple to play. The use of HD rumble is fantastic, giving the game a realistic feel. Along with running, jumping, and more, Mario can use Cappy to take over characters like Gumbas, Hammer Bros, and more. When Mario takes over characters, he unlocks special features specific to that character. Gumbas for example don’t slip on ice, while the dinosaur can smash things easier.

I quite like the motion controls more than I thought . In Nintendo games, they tend to push it a bit too much, making the game unplayable. But in this game, they cleverly implemented the actions, like throwing Cappy by flicking your wrist. The game does make you want to use motion controls by giving you extra abilities to do things like jump farther, or throw the hat up. This can especially come in handy when you play the story, or just want to collect the Power Moons. Welp, about the Power Moons…

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

One of the main things that I like about Super Mario Odyssey is the fact that once you complete the game, you are far from over. Sure, you could finish off from the boss battle, but what fun is that? The game rewards players with maps of all the Power Moons not captured yet, which will make you keep on collecting them. You can use these Power Moons to go to other kingdoms and to gain access to more costumes and captures.

Personally, I love this. It always draws me in to keep on playing the game frequently. Always trying to find new ways to gain more Power Moons is challenging, but rewarding in the end. The quest to gain everything is dawning, but the game makes it feel entertaining, rather than making it feel like a chore. The more you explore in different kingdoms, the more moons and costumes you unlock.

Costumes!

Another thing cool about Super Mario Odyssey is all the costumes that you can unlock. In all of the kingdoms, you can buy different costumes and souvenirs in the Crazy Cap store. The costumes vary from the different worlds, but they unlock more Power Moons and hidden hubs in the kingdoms. The urge to buy them us strong, especially that you can make different combinations and cool features. This, combined with the other things that I said earlier make the game rewarding, even after the story.

Game of the Year and Other Things

Since the game has gotten popular, many people have gone far enough to rank it in the top five games of 2017. Recently, it was nominated as Game of the Year, along with Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, PUBG, Persona 5, and Horizon Zero Dawn. Unfortunately, Super Mario Odyssey didn’t win, but they did get recognized a lot. Along with being Game of the Year, it has also gotten many sales, with Fortune saying in October 31st, it sold about 463 copies per minute. Wow.

Conclusion

Super Mario Odyssey is a fantastic game which has gotten great recognition. Along with fantastic game mechanics, it has clearly shown that Mario is going nowhere with this rate. The beauty of having a 3D game which lets Mario go anywhere brings memories back to Mario 64 and Sunshine. Along with being a Nintendo Switch exclusive, this will surely draw many people in with the portability of bringing the game anywhere. Super Mario Odyssey has been a fantastic surprise, even with the hype around it.

Rating: 10/10