

One of his first pit stops is Cascade Kingdom, a world reminiscent of other early game Mario levels, like Bob-omb Battlefield in Super Mario 64. Through its use of Mario’s illustrious hat, Super Mario Odyssey transforms the franchise in a game that will be remembered as one of its best, and a fitting celebration for the quarter-century-old plumber.Īfter encountering some predictable turmoil, Mario finds himself sorely in need of moon power in order to fuel his space shuttle, The Odyssey.

Instead, Nintendo’s latest iteration in the franchise has an innovative bite to it – one that lingers and establishes itself as the cherry on top of an excellent year of video games. Somehow, it manages to do all of that without ever coming across as being too full of fan service. In every sense of the word, Odyssey feels like a celebration – filled with festive moments, music and scenery.

Our mustached protagonist has never felt so alive and district, contrasted by the hundreds of beings that exist in Odyssey ’s delightful and idiosyncratic world. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Super Mario Odyssey serves as the conclusion to 25 years of Mario.
