When going through the story, I was both awed and let down by the beginning of the game, and the lackluster cut scene after the final level was disappointing.įor me, the game improved from that point on. There is no life system, so losing a life deducts 10 gold coins, but even if you reach zero, there are no ramifications other than having to repeat a short section. Completing the story is incredibly simple and requires the collection of a few moons, and boss fights are too easy for experienced players. Players who enjoy exploration and discovery will enjoy Super Mario Odyssey, but some may be disappointed because it partially takes away the significance of achievements in the early game. There are some original ideas and set pieces, but they're not commonly found. You may simply stumble upon some, others are well hidden, and special ones require the completion of a certain parkour sequence. They are comparable to korok seeds in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, both in sheer number and ease of discovery. The main goal in Super Mario Odyssey is to collect moons, but they lack significance in this iteration. Not all of the kingdoms leave a lasting impression, though. The best kingdoms have previously been shown by Nintendo, and the standouts are the massive sand kingdom and the busy metro kingdom. With the variation in size, the moons we collect in each kingdom also varies, with as few as nine moons in one kingdom and over 100 in another one. Over the course of the story, we experience 15 kingdoms of varying sizes, and there are some additional ones after the story concludes.
#SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY PC PRO#
Players can complete the game without the special hat throws, but those moves don't feel intuitive for those using the handheld mode or the Pro controller, and the control accuracy also suffers.Īside from the gameplay, the main attraction is the kingdoms. Upward, downward and circular hat throws can only be triggered by motion controls. It's unfortunate that Nintendo decided to use separate Joy-Cons as the primary input method. The controls are very smooth and feel spot-on most of the time. This takes a bit of practice, but after a short while, this move can be executed rather easily.
The second addition is a long jump that's triggered after jumping, adding even more reach when combined with a hat throw. After a throw, the red hat stays in place with the hold of a button, allowing players to jump on it and travel. On top of the capture mechanic, the magical hat also adds skills to Mario's movement set. The first capture is as memorable as the last, and certain enemies are needed to win the boss fights. The variety added by this feature is astonishing and fun. We can slip into Gumbas and stack them, capture Bullet Bills to blow up things or control plant-based enemies that can stretch to otherwise unreachable heights. Over 50 enemies have to be captured to collect power moons and get through the story. We can throw the hat to collect coins, destroy crates or capture enemies, the latter of which is probably the most interesting addition to Super Mario Odyssey. Thanks to his magical hat companion, Mario has a few new tricks up his sleeve. What ensues is a chase around the globe in our hat-shaped airship, the Odyssey, while collecting hundreds of power moons to fuel our engine but remaining one step behind Bowser and his minions. As Mario, players try to save the princess but fail and end up in the Cap Kingdom, where we unite with a magical top hat, whose sister is a tiara that has also been kidnapped by Bowser. Unsurprisingly, Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser, this time for a spontaneous wedding to permanently join them.