Super Mario Odyssey

Description

Super Mario Odyssey sees Mario team up with Cappy, a sentient hat, to pursue Bowser across a series of kingdoms after the villain kidnaps Princess Peach with the intent of forcing a wedding. The game abandons the linear stage design of more recent entries in favour of expansive sandbox environments reminiscent of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. Each kingdom is filled with Power Moons, which serve as fuel for the Odyssey airship and allow progression to new areas. Cappy’s capture ability is central to the design, letting Mario inhabit enemies, objects, and even vehicles, dramatically expanding the range of interactions and puzzle solutions.

The structure encourages experimentation, with kingdoms ranging from realistic cityscapes to surreal fantasy landscapes, each offering unique mechanics and challenges. The game also integrates 2D platforming segments styled after the original Super Mario Bros., blending nostalgia with modern design. Odyssey represents Nintendo’s parallel push toward freedom and discovery, though with a more playful, score‑chasing emphasis, its vocal theme song, “Jump Up, Super Star!”, marked a first for the series and became emblematic of its celebratory tone.

The game’s reception was overwhelmingly positive, with critics praising its inventiveness, variety, and the sheer joy of movement. It is one of the best entries in the franchise and one of the standout titles of its generation despite being release about 6 months into the Switch’s life. The same development repeat the feat eight years later with the Switch 2 and Donkey Kong Bananza. Overall, Odyssey successfully balanced reverence for Mario’s history with bold new ideas, cementing itself as both a nostalgic return and a forward‑looking reinvention.