The Odyssey: A Journey Through The Ages

Have you ever eaten something, watched something, played something, or seen something that you could just feel the love and care oozing through it’s entirety? There have been a few games like that recently, such as Undertale, Cuphead, and HiveSwap, all of them coming out of relatively small studios, being 2D RPG-style games. But, I recently finished playing a game that, while made by one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, is still chock-full of love and care.

Super Mario Odyssey is, in my opinion, one of the best games to come out this year. Every area is so unique and beautiful, with it’s own character and gimmicks that make it unique. Taking concepts from Mario games of the past, Odyssey truly feels like a culmination of everything the franchise stands for, everything it has built upon since the early days of gaming.

It’s not the story that makes the game unique, though. Really, the story is pretty negligible in the grand scheme of things. What makes the game so fun, so unique, is the dynamic that you get when travelling from kingdom to kingdom, exploring everything the game has to offer.

Mechanically, the game is a masterpiece. The way Mario moves, the precision you can achieve, and the crazy moves you can pull off… It makes you want to challenge the game, to push the limits of what is possible to accomplish. Can you reach that point? Can you cross that gap? The way the game encourages you to take risks, to explore, to train your skills… That’s good game design.

Odyssey isn’t just a mechanically good game, though. With an amazing soundtrack of nearly one hundred unique and incredible songs, everywhere you go is a new, fresh experience. And while the story itself is pretty straightforward – chasing Bowser who has kidnapped Princess Peach – The amount of post-game content, with a whopping 999 moons to collect, is just insane! It’s a game that lasts far longer than just the story, allowing you to experiment, or just play around, with what is possible.

My favorite part of the game, though, isn’t the stunning visuals, the incredible soundtrack, or the wonderful mechanics. It’s how self-aware the game is. Aware of, not just itself, but its history. With constant references to older Mario games popping up literally everywhere, the game knows where it came from, and honors that history, while at the same time shedding new light on the franchise, taking it in interesting directions.

The people at Nintendo who worked onSuper Mario Odyssey are, quite clearly, in love. They love good games. They love Nintendo. They love their job. But, most of all, they love Mario. And that love shows. It shines through, in every stage, in every moon you collect, in every wild and crazy, but perfect jump you make as Mario. And really, that kind of love and dedication deserves just one response.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nintendo, for making such an amazing game. Thank you for making it available for all of us to play. Thank you for putting in the time, the effort, and the love, to make it such an incredible experience.

If you’re reading this post, and you haven’t played Super Mario Odyssey yet, I highly recommend you find a way to do so. It’s a game that may end up changing your life, it’s just that good. If you have played the game, please, let me know your thoughts on it! Did you love it as much as I did?

Thank you very much for reading, everyone, and I hope you all have a lovely day!