Super Mario Odyssey Review

Nintendo has been able to: in the same year, it dethroned two of its greatest masterpieces (which are also two of the best games of ALL TIMES) in an interval shorter than eight months. Yes, Super Mario Odyssey is all that they say and more. For 20 years, Super Mario 64 reigned sovereign in the hearts of many people as the best of the franchise, but now there is a new king in the piece. To take his crown, just so: with another Mario.

Opinions may vary, but rest assured: Super Mario Odyssey is at least at the same level as Mario 64 and the two Super Mario Galaxy, goes from each. No wonder the game is making so much noise: it's fun from start to finish, with a fair amount of raw, raw entertainment injected right into the vein, all with the good old magic of Nintendo. And when it comes to the company's most famous mascot, Nintendo knows what it does.

Fun, fun, fun

When we have a new Super Mario, Big N definitely does not sleep on the spot. All the elements that make a good Mario have been exploited with mastery and there is nothing to be desired in relation to their predecessors. For over 15 hours, you'll find dozens of extremely creative levels, level design of the best possible quality, great encouragement to explore, secrets to the hills and an experience that will make you enjoy every moment from start to finish with a smile on your face.

The story, as you might imagine, is the same as always, with the charisma the franchise has: Peach was kidnapped by Bowser and it is up to the mustachioed to bring the princess back. To do this, the character travels from world to world through Odyssey, a ship that works with the power of the moons collected during the campaign, similar to the stars of Super Mario 64. But there are much more than just refined mechanics.

Super Mario Odyssey

It's basically Mario 64 again, and that's why Super Mario Odyssey has both glamor and charm. It's simple, it's functional and it's brutally fun. During my time with the game, I felt like a kid once more by winning the Nintendo 64 for over 20 years. All I had to do was explore the worlds and search for the hidden moons in the most diverse ways, all using the magic and creativity that seems to be left over at Nintendo.

Nintendo does not miss Mario in 3D exploration, and this time it was no different: it's creativity and fun from start to finish

It may sound like a slogan for marketers, but every now and then, less is really more. With the exception of a few motion controls, Super Mario Odyssey can be played with just two buttons and the analog. It sounds simple enough for 2017, but Nintendo puts such functional and well-made mechanics into the platform game that it's simply impossible not to have fun.



Gameplay of hat

Everything is heading towards a spiritual successor to Super Mario 64, but there is one factor that changes a lot: this time, Mario has an unexpected help. Cappy is the animated hat and the new partner of the protagonist, capable of owning several enemies. This mechanic creates a vastness of possibilities and different ways of playing, all done with great fancy. Sometimes you are a plant that must stretch to reach inaccessible places; in another, it is a goomba that must conquer his beloved to win a moon.

The variety is huge and goes way beyond that. The plumber can turn into a Rex tyrannosaurus, fish, octopus, war tanks, fireballs, a giant piece of meat and even some humans, strange as that may be. The highlight is that each of these transformations makes sense mechanically and fulfills a purpose within the map. This huge range of possibilities is one of the foundations for creating such a fun experience.

As you might imagine, the whole level design and combat of each world is delicately thought out and planned to work with each of the transformations. This is where Super Mario Odyssey comes to the fore: it is almost a craft work, done with whim and that fits perfectly. Rhythm and fun never fall.

Huge variety of scenarios and activities

Each world of Super Mario Odyssey brings a vastness of content and is extremely different from each other, creating an even wider variety. Whether in the sands of a frozen desert, in the big city of New Donk City or in the kingdom of Luncheon Kingdom foods, there is plenty to do and several collectibles to look for.

The amazing thing is that most of these realms (or phases) are very, very large. Even the smallest ones bring a gigantic dose of content. Each level is divided into several partitions, each with its share of fun and things to do. Even after the end of the game, there are several secrets behind and even secret levels.

Your goal in each of these realms is simple: collect a set number of moons and defeat a boss. However, each of them is conquered in a different way, including in classic 2D sections to the Super Mario of Nintendinho. Be it with fun and creative platform challenges or having enemies to win the prizes, all the methods to achieve those goals are pure fun, never losing a beat. In a moment I was running races in the snow; in another, exploring sections of extremely well-constructed platforms in an inhospitable jungle; until entering in pictures to the Mario 64 and in sections 2D of Super Mario Bros. of 1985. It is pure and raw amusement injected directly into the vein. From 2D sections to mini snow racing games: there's a LOT to do in over 40 hours of content.



Bosses are a bit repetitive, but there are a few of them that stand out in creativity and in the way of overcoming them. Overall, Super Mario Odyssey is not such a challenging game and it is possible to complete everything without sweating the shirt. However, the real difficulty lies in pursuing 100%: you can be sure that running after the extras will bring obstacles to well-crafted and difficult-to-pass platforms.

Dozens of things to do after the end

The duration of Super Mario Odyssey is similar to that of any other game of the series: more than ten hours (it gives to kick easy of 15 to 18 hours). However, this is far from the total time you will spend to make 100%. But make no mistake. The extra content is not something more or less that serves only to prolong the life of the game: it is as good as the main.

There are secret levels, different dungeons in each realm, and a vast array of things to do, all very different from each other. In addition, you can even get different clothes for the plumber: some of them are bought with common coins and others can only be purchased with unique coins from each world.

When we are not using Cappy, it is possible to customize the mustache with dozens of different clothes. In some cases, this serves to pick up some extra item, but most of the time the change is just cosmetic. In one form or another, we have many costumes to collect and run behind.

Superb art direction but with slight technical slippage

Mario reaches the level of excellence in absolutely every aspect he presents, but there is only one element that has slight problems: the graphic part. Super Mario Odyssey is dizzying in terms of beauty and the direction of art is a real spectacle. The scenarios are very rich in visuals and there is a lot of artistic variety. There is a lot of attention to detail: the character can get dirty from dirt, wet or even get injured by some enemies.

The graphics are spectacular and exceed the expectation for the Switch, but there are small problems

However, the technical side is faced with some limitations of the Switch. You see, they are small problems and it is to find hair in egg, but yes, there are some minor problems in the graphic part. In areas with many elements on the screen, resolution may drop; already in New Donk City, urban scenery, some NPCs are animated at 30 fps or less when they are distant.

Super Mario Odyssey is more than incredible: it's a second childhood for everyone
Everything runs at 60 fps for the first time in an exploration Mario, which guarantees accuracy and perfect fluidity - let's hope this is the standard of the series going forward. However, there are falls in the frame rate in some rare situations. Fortunately, nothing serious or that spoils the experience. In portable mode, quality is also reduced, with shadows in lower quality, some details are reduced and so on.



The camera and the Joycons can be problematic

In addition to these little hassles, the camera is an old enemy of Mario and comes back again. 95% of the time, it works great and adjusts to screen situations, but from time to time it can display some bad angles at times that require quick response, disrupting the game.

Super Mario Odyssey

Finally, Nintendo also opted to use Joycons' motion sensors a lot, simulating lightly the gameplay of Super Mario Galaxy. This is cool and even offers a cool experience, but in portable mode this can mess up a lot, since to use the sensor, it is necessary to swing the whole console. It would not cost anything to have buttons made specifically for some actions - even because, most of them are not used.

Worth it? YES

Super Mario Odyssey is not technically perfect, but what game is it? Neither is Mario Odyssey the same 3D revolution that the franchise had on the Nintendo 64, but its execution with the Nintendo magic is so palpable that it is difficult not to put it in the threshold of the most outstanding games of the generation. It is much more Dionysian than Apollonian. It is the feeling, not the reason.

Super Mario Odyssey

It's the nostalgia of seeing a classic Mario as good as the one we had in the game. Basically, Big N achieved a harmonic balance between Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. But make no mistake: even if you were saving money and did not fit a switch in your budget, I'm sorry to inform you, but it's time to get the console, because Mario Odyssey is the perfect reason.

This game was kindly provided by the Bacana Games store for the analysis.

10/10
"Super Mario Odyssey is one of those masterpieces of a generation. Like every game, it's not perfect but has quality to spare and is worthy of a 10"

POSITIVE POINTS
-Simple, neat and brutally fun
-The new mechanic of owning enemies is very creative and offers huge variety of gameplay
-The level design of the game is extremely well done
-Many platform challenges and several different mini games
-The customization of Mario is one of the best extras we could have
- Every world is unique and offers a lot of variety of gameplay
-The game is long and there is a lot of content to search even after the end of the campaign
-The art direction is simply superb and the game rotates almost 100% of the time at 60 fps

NEGATIVE POINTS
-Motion controls do not make much sense in portable mode
-The camera disrupts in some rare moments
-Although they are small, there are some technical problems in the graphic part