Super Mario Odyssey

 Switch
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7655 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6,824 out of 7655
  2. Mixed: 401 out of 7655
  3. Negative: 430 out of 7655
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  1. EdgarEM
    Jan 14, 2018
    10
    Una de las mejores experiencias de juego que nos remonta a aquellos tiempos de la Nintendo 64, visualmente es magnifico con una banda sonora que te atrapan y te introducen dentro de cada uno de los niveles, la variedad es grandiosa dentro de cada uno de los mundos con horas y horas de juego en solitario o acompañado.
  2. ChromeArome
    Feb 27, 2018
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I absolutely loved this game, but a few flaws (and the extreme frustration of Darker Side) made me give it a 9.

    Cons:
    1: Difficulty
    Now, I had no problems with how the game is too easy and I think that it was a medium challenge (but I am slightly sad that there aren't higher difficulties, but most Mario games don't have them, so I ignore this) but then Darker Side has to come and frustrate me beyond belief with no checkpoints and a pretty difficult challenge.
    2: inconsistencies:
    I had a few small problems with this through my playthrough, like how I throw the cap, hold Y and dive but I don't dive, or how I clipped through a wall as one of those cloud things in the Snow Kingdom (or the Ice Kingdom, I forgot its name) when the other side of the wall that it was part of was fine. Honestly, these barely impacted me, but I decided to mention them anyways.

    Pros:
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.: Basically everything else:

    It is an understatement to say that I loved this game. The art style, the music, the gameplay, and the content level (most importantly the gameplay) were all things that made me come back for weeks after I got the game with the Switch along with Splatoon 2 (I never played Splatoon 1, and Splatoon 2, or Spla2n as I jokingly call it, is also great) and also get more games for the Switch, like Arms and Darkest Dungeon!
    Summary:
    I really loved the game and you should get it.    … Expand
  3. Chicaswag123
    Mar 4, 2018
    10
    This game is absolutely amazing and it is one of the best games I have played ever. I would DEFIANTLY recommend this game and JUST PLAY IT
  4. alessio9431
    Apr 27, 2018
    9
    This game offers a completely new game-play compared to the other Super Mario titles. It offers diversified and original scenarios that are fun to play. The idea of ​​the hat with which you can interact, for my opinion is a brilliant choice.
  5. DiamondShadows9
    Jul 2, 2018
    10
    This game is a great return to formula to the old 3D Mario games like 64, Sunshine and Galaxy. It has a simplistic but good story and Cappy is a wonderful addition to Mario's move set. There is a lot to do and for $60 it is amazing.
  6. ARGzelder
    May 1, 2019
    10
    Nintendo logró hacer que el debut de Mario en Nintendo Switch, no sólo sea bueno, sino épico. Hasta la fecha "Super Mario Odyssey" es el juego de plataformas 3D del que todos deben tomar nota por su calidad en controles y cámara, sin mencionar lo imaginativo y variado.
    La historia es la de siempre, Bowser secuestra a Peach y es el deber de Mario en salir a su escate, pero esta vez tendrá    Nintendo logró hacer que el debut de Mario en Nintendo Switch, no sólo sea bueno, sino épico. Hasta la fecha "Super Mario Odyssey" es el juego de plataformas 3D del que todos deben tomar nota por su calidad en controles y cámara, sin mencionar lo imaginativo y variado.
    La historia es la de siempre, Bowser secuestra a Peach y es el deber de Mario en salir a su escate, pero esta vez tendrá la ayuda de Cappy, un pequeño fantasma que se transforma en sombreros y ayuda a Mario haciendo que puedan controlar a sus enemigos.
    Lo mejor por supuesto es los controles, nunca vas a sentirte perdido al momento de controlar a Mario, cada botón es responsable y la posibilidad de hacer combinaciones para realizar saltos más largos o altos depende de la habilidad del usuario.
    En general éste es un juego que esta en el límite de la perfección, pero por la innovación se vuelve meritorio de un 10. "Super Mario Odyssey" es algo corto y algunas Energilunas no son muy fáciles de hallar.
    Sin lugar a dudas estamos con un juego que debería estar en toda colección de Nintendo Switch, es divertido sin importar la edad que tengas y el reto depende cuánto quieras completar el juego.    … Expand
  7. Commodore_64
    Apr 17, 2021
    0
    I've been playing Super Mario games since the NES, and this is hands down the worst Super Mario game to date.

    Awful, imprecise controls; Bad Camera; Boring, uninspired gameplay.
  8. haloha
    Aug 4, 2019
    4
    There isn't much fun in walking around the exact same area for hours looking for some moons. The boss fights are just typical boss fights. If you aren't a child or buying this for your child, stay away. Get Super Mario Maker 2.
  9. SirSoil
    Feb 28, 2020
    5
    Super Mario Odyssey really tries to be unique and wants to share an unforgettable adventure, it succeeds but fails most of the time. Yes the games graphics and music are near perfect and controlling Mario never felt this damn satisfying, however Mario doesn’t have a unique adventure to explore. The story is simple as always but it’s cooler, but here is the kicker the planets you got to areSuper Mario Odyssey really tries to be unique and wants to share an unforgettable adventure, it succeeds but fails most of the time. Yes the games graphics and music are near perfect and controlling Mario never felt this damn satisfying, however Mario doesn’t have a unique adventure to explore. The story is simple as always but it’s cooler, but here is the kicker the planets you got to are the most uninspired boring places in video game history. Most of them suck and maybe two or one are actually really good, the main problem is the collectibles. I have never seen a game where collecting stuff is disappointing and it feels like nothing, the main damn collectible the moon is the most boring **** in a video game earning them feels like absolute garbage. Hey at least this game has charm and good bosses, yes but when u have these things the issues start showing up rapidly. Even the controlling enemies feature is stupid, yes it’s fun but it gets repetitive fast. Mario Odyssey wants to be a masterpiece with its charm controls bosses and music, but the biggest problems show up faster than ever as you play the game it fails at what it wants to be most of the time. (Medicore 2/5) Play It If Your A Fan Of The Series… Expand
  10. BigSaccGuy
    Mar 25, 2020
    1
    Super Mario Odysssy is a game about collecting moons throughout expansive worlds to move on to the next objective. You can choose which moons you want to collect, and alternatively, which moons to ignore. Once you collect however many moons you need to progress to the next area, there's no point in turning back - allowing you to skip things such as important boss fights. With a total ofSuper Mario Odysssy is a game about collecting moons throughout expansive worlds to move on to the next objective. You can choose which moons you want to collect, and alternatively, which moons to ignore. Once you collect however many moons you need to progress to the next area, there's no point in turning back - allowing you to skip things such as important boss fights. With a total of 999 moons in the game, you will always be able to meet whatever threshold the game throws at you. Moons aren't hard to get either, and that's the problem with Mario Odyssey: there's no real challenge. If you want to 100% the game, why bother when you can purchase as many moons as you please, especially with coins at every turn in the game? When you die, why do you lose your coins instead of a lives system that requires you to look for 1-UPs separately, getting rid of a side challenge that prompts players to avoid 'game over' screens? And why am I just walking around mindlessly until I feel my controller rumble? And if you don't know what to do, you'll do the only thing you can do: just throw cappy at things. The only reason I give this game 1/10 is because the music is spot on, and the graphics are carefully polished, all except for the grass, which is literally a photo taken from real life and slapped on the ground.… Expand
  11. MrBojack23
    Jun 2, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a really really bad game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!… Expand
  12. lol1245
    Jul 31, 2022
    0
    the story is actually Pretty dry BUT this game definitely is Beautiful. The ending is also very cool.
  13. loafofchickenes
    Feb 7, 2023
    3
    mario is kinda hot, but ither than that pretty trash. i kinda wish THAT THEre was more scenes with dwane
  14. PatriotSan
    Nov 1, 2017
    6
    I think this game is overhyped!

    Gameplay is awesome but its literally Super Mario 64 with 1 new feature.. the hat.
    Theres not a real story.
    Levels are cool.
  15. Dream_Imp_Luna
    May 13, 2020
    0
    Originally, I might have been willing to give this abomination of a Mario title some slack, given it DID possess a tiny bit of value back then, but that was because I didn't realize the full extent of the horrors of this game. Now, given how this has single-handedly ruined the Mario franchise for gamers like me, this abomination literally doesn't deserve ANY sort of forgiveness WHATSOEVER,Originally, I might have been willing to give this abomination of a Mario title some slack, given it DID possess a tiny bit of value back then, but that was because I didn't realize the full extent of the horrors of this game. Now, given how this has single-handedly ruined the Mario franchise for gamers like me, this abomination literally doesn't deserve ANY sort of forgiveness WHATSOEVER, much less empathy or love. Essentially just a gloomy, depressing shadow of what Mario once was.

    Besides the obvious, such as the Capture and Power Moon innovations, there's literally NO other redeeming values of this title. It is essentially just a Super Mario 64 / Sunshine clone with its signature mechanic replaced with its Capture mechanic, and nothing much else more, if any at all, and essentially just a shadow of what was originally Mario. And I'm speaking in at-best terms here. At worst, it not only possesses those same qualities, it goes well beyond them; it ruins everything we've come to know about Mario, and just depicts them, Mario, Peach, and Bowser, in particular, as nothing more than gross, immature beings only fighting for a Princess's heart, all while the Princess herself shows no intention of living a meaningful life, or any sort of life, for that matter, other than being the head honcho of her own castle with Toads that essentially Do Absolutely Nothing other than just general craziness. Not the heroes we've imagined as warrior against dragon saving princess, but rather, two immature, mindless lovers, after an airheaded Princess, who all three often if not always come off as rude, if not mean and ugly. Disgusting.

    When it came to thoughts in moments in my life such as Peach rejecting a proposal of Mario's, or Mario getting upset about a whole usual Princess kidnapping situation, what I was never expecting - was for this game to leave a deep wound in my heart deep inside my body and soul, and still give me excruciating pain to this day.

    The sheer, overwhelming amount of pain, that had come from this wound in my heart, still hurts today, and Super Mario Odyssey brought along this tragic injury. It's an absolutely terrible, complete, betrayal of what Mario used to be, and trust me, especially with the comics to compliment it, it CLEARLY shows.

    This really just goes to show how deep a hole Nintendo's gotten themselves into, but, to be fair, it's not really Nintendo's fault that this game has scarred gamers' hearts like mine, at least not entirely or directly. If we had to blame anyone, it would be the Nintendo fanbase, and the gaming fanbase in general.

    The sheer amount of unwillingness to accept, let alone embrace, innovation and change in gaming and technology in general, really, especially by fanbases, even back in 2017, had to be quite overwhelming, and this is why Nintendo is struggling these days, while games, such as COD and pretty much any Battle Royale out there, have no problem with money and success. But in fact, this statement, if anything, would only be more relevant today, and one can only suspect it's starting to take its toll on video games and even Nintendo nowadays.

    I do remember when I first saw that this game had lost its ranking in the User Score section of Universal acclaim, having been demoted to Generally favorable reviews, and although normally I wouldn't really state that, especially given it's only a 0.1 point decrease, only just putting it shy of Universal acclaim, this rating is in fact WELL deserved for a title that is less than nothing more than a generic 3D Mario Sandbox game with its signature mechanic being Captures, one that shoves a tragic reality in our face NONE of us should have to put up with, much less get used to.

    STOP. We've had enough of this. Mario wasn't just built on mechanics, controls, and gameplay. It was built to have THOSE be the core of Mario that would pave the way for more interesting stories, plot, and lore - and ironically, more innovative mechanics, controls, and gameplay, in return.

    Mechanics, controls, and gameplay are the core of the Mario franchise, not simply Mario ITSELF as a whole.

    While I normally wouldn't ask this, given this is generally frowned upon by the public, I'm asking you: it would be nice for you to mark this review as Helpful to show your support, that we're not putting up with this chaos anymore, and it's time for us to stand up to all this. Of course, you don't have to mark it as helpful for that specific reason, in fact, you don't have to mark it as helpful at all, as per usual; I'm just giving you a nice recommendation here. I'm certainly not making you, of course.

    In short, I'm swearing off playing this game ever again. It's not only the most depressing Mario game I've ever played in my life, it's also undoubtedly the WORST Mario game I've ever played - heck, even the worst Mario game after that I can and would DEFINITELY enjoy, even with all it's shortcomings. Thank you so much for listening.    … Expand
  16. Egedemanden
    Jul 13, 2018
    0
    Terrible game.
    I 100 % it and here are some of my problems.
    1. controls are not perfect, to get perfect controls you need to buy the 60 $ Pro controller. if you have not bought the Pro controller the controls are very clunky.
    2. The game is just to short.
    3. Worlds are boring
    0/10 not worth 60 bucks
    5/10 if you buy the Pro controller for 60 bucks
  17. Mats2468
    Dec 4, 2017
    7
    If you have played very much Mario games earlier, then you will sometimes get tired of Mario Oddyssey. I had the kind of fun, but the '' weary feeling '' got into the game quite quickly. It is the same goal when you travel to the places where you go. If you intend to collect ALL the moons, well good luck. Nothing beats Galaxy 2 yet in my opinion
  18. frysguineapig
    Nov 22, 2017
    7
    I like the game, but it's short, and because of the playthrough mechanic, it's a bit grindy to go back through the various worlds again, to collect more power moons.
  19. EdArmstrong
    Nov 29, 2017
    7
    I felt I had to write this since most seem to be of the opinion that it's an flawless game & you'd have to be a idiot to think otherwise. While I agree it's a very well made game and has some absolutely fantastic moments, these moments are often short-lived and much of the rest of the game is taken up by the tedium of searching for / chasing down moons.

    Before I dive in I should mention    I felt I had to write this since most seem to be of the opinion that it's an flawless game & you'd have to be a idiot to think otherwise. While I agree it's a very well made game and has some absolutely fantastic moments, these moments are often short-lived and much of the rest of the game is taken up by the tedium of searching for / chasing down moons.

    Before I dive in I should mention that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is my 2nd favourite game of all time (it actually knocked Super Mario World from this spot) and I'm a big Mario fan in general. I should also probably mention however that while I liked Super Mario 64, I didn't love it and furthermore I couldn't even play Super Mario Sunshine past the first few levels due to it's poor camera, uninspiring environments and lame premise: Mario cleans up graffiti with a water canon; come on. To this day It's the only main series Mario game I've never finished (Lost Levels included) and therein probably lies much of my problem with SMO; I'm clearly more of a fan of the linear-style Mario games rather than these sandbox collectathons, still I think it's worth mentioning (mainly for those who believe SMO does no wrong) what are, imo, serious flaws with the game.

    But first I will list what I did like about the game - I still gave it 7/10 so I must have liked something!

    Firstly, it's Mario and the game still feels fantastic to play and move Mario around the environment. On top of this Cappy provides some great new moves to Mario's usual repertoire making Mario more fun to control than ever.

    2nd, the capturing mechanic is SUCH a great idea and at least 50% of the things you can capture add some really fun dynamics to the gameplay. Power-Ups are often one of the most enjoyable things in Mario games and capturing boosts the number of skills you can acquire well beyond previous records.

    3rd, the combined use of surprises and nostalgia adds a lot of fun moments into the game. A few bits in New Donk City in particular such as **that** moped chase down the back alleyway as well as the scene you play when the festival kicks-off had me smiling from ear-to-ear.

    Finally this game is easily the funniest Mario game outside of the Paper Mario series - a lot of this is in the text spouted by the inhabitants of the various Kingdoms which had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

    So onto the bad.. my main complaint is that a large number of the moons just aren't fun to collect. I'm not talking about the random ones that you have to search high & low for (although there are too many of those) I'm talking about the ones hiding in plain sight that force you into some monotonous task to obtain. These challenges are almost always repeated over-and-over in the various Kingdoms with little to no variation (something previous Mario games have excelled in avoiding) - these "challenges" can be broken down into 4 main categories:

    1) Chasing after things

    Chasing after Rabbits / Chasing after shiny birds / chasing after sheep and herding them into a area - all very boring

    2) Finding certain items:

    Captain Toad / Peach / local currency to buy a local's outfit / shop + coins so you can buy moons / sphinx so you can answer a boring (& ridiculously simple) question / kingdom portals / underground items via HD rumble effect / capturing inanimate objects to move them out of the way - None of these things I found fun to find in the slightest

    3) Doing something quickly:

    Collecting musical notes before the timer runs out (dull) / Timer Challenges (some fun, others not) / Koopa Races (way too many of these, although to be fair a few are kinda fun & actually have some variety)

    4) Minigames:

    These sound more fun than they are but at least most aren't repeated ad infinitum: RC Car / Beachball / Jump Rope / god-awful Trace-walking game. There were a few mini-games such as Bound Bowl that were really great but again these were sparsely available in comparison to the (literally) hundreds of moons that weren't much fun to collect at all.

    Another major bugbear is the lack of challenge. All over the internet I've seen this comment countered with: "yeah, you clearly haven't played the last Kingdom yet" to which my response would be; having a game which is pedestrian in difficulty for 99% of the experience only to ramp up to 11 for a single level doesn't equate to a difficult game overall - it's a shame because '3D World' pulled this exact same trick and was worse off for it. Why have Nintendo lost the ability to gradually ramp up the difficulty during the course of the game? They never had problems with this in the past and I really hope the trend doesn't continue.

    All in all - If it were up to me these things would have elevated the game into something amazing instead of just good

    * 20-40% less moons in each Kingdom - removing most of the ones mentioned above.
    * 4-6 fully fledged additional Kingdoms
    * Greater increase in difficulty as the game progresses    … Expand
  20. LatsaSpege
    Jul 20, 2020
    0
    This game is complete TRASH. Exploration is bland, everything is so boring. BUT that's not the worst part, the 2D sections can go into a fire and BURN. You have to use a thumb stick, dose Nintendo think it's to hard to Switch to your D pad for the 2D sections? Than WHY can you use it in the menu? It just makes no sense. WHY would Nintendo do this?
  21. ignore78
    Oct 28, 2017
    7
    If you are expecting this to be like Super Mario 64. Then you will be disappointed. You will go a linear path, kingdom to kingdom, almost like Super Mario Galaxy 2. Super Mario 64 feels more open world then Odyssey. And you cant sneak in this mario game. i loved to do that in mario 64. it felt more dynamic. Odyssey is too easy . And one thing i feel is frustrating. is when you haveIf you are expecting this to be like Super Mario 64. Then you will be disappointed. You will go a linear path, kingdom to kingdom, almost like Super Mario Galaxy 2. Super Mario 64 feels more open world then Odyssey. And you cant sneak in this mario game. i loved to do that in mario 64. it felt more dynamic. Odyssey is too easy . And one thing i feel is frustrating. is when you have completed one level, it takes you back to the start of that level and you have to do that level all over again to find more Moons. The level has changed a little bit. But not that much like in mario sunshine. it was amazing to go in and in again and again in the same level to see how much the level has changed to find more shine sprites. I must say that Zelda is as good as Mario 64 was back then. But this Odyssey is not that good. It is fun to play through. but when it is finished. its finished.… Expand
  22. aiglick88
    Oct 29, 2017
    7
    this was a very short game. Could use less hand holding from the developers. Was left wanting a lot more worlds to explore. the game basically played itself. I am optimistic that the next one will be better.
  23. Sdfgboy
    Jan 17, 2018
    3
    As a long time Mario fan I found this game to be extremely disappointing.
    I will not go into details, pretty much 60% of the negative reviews pointed out the flaws of that game and explained in details the problems.
    The problems of that game being that it is: -Easy, but I mean TOO EASY, even a 3 years old would be able to complete it. Mario Galaxy was aimed at a young audience, but    As a long time Mario fan I found this game to be extremely disappointing.
    I will not go into details, pretty much 60% of the negative reviews pointed out the flaws of that game and explained in details the problems.
    The problems of that game being that it is:
    -Easy, but I mean TOO EASY, even a 3 years old would be able to complete it. Mario Galaxy was aimed at a young audience, but atleast it was a bit challenging, I don't say no to such easy difficulty, but give us the possibility to choose for a higher difficulty for the a little more "extreme" players;
    -Bland and empty, the level design is so awful and honestly, it hurts me to say that but even another mediocre Sonic game known as Sonic Forces had a better level design. Well, the bad level design is especially in the overworld, when you enter one special stage it gets a little better, but that's not saying much;
    -The story, no comment it's just bad;
    -The music is inexistant;
    -Open World/Collectathon don't mix well with platformers. I think that many can agree that the base idea was bad, Zelda BOTW was a lot less hated because the base idea wasn't awful. Zelda BOTW is using the Dark Souls formula and is beautiful, making up for an excellent open world. Mario Odyssey, looks, feels and pretty is boring, empty and soulless. The team working for Mario Odyssey clearly have never done a single open world/sandbox/collectathon before and this is where comes the incompetency;
    -It is full of nostalgia and that's pretty much why it gets much praise, honestly it doesn't make it bad, but I wanted to point it out;
    -No charm, at all;
    -Overall boring: See points stated before;

    I'm also expecting some sort of censorship on Metacritic, especially considering that there are 223 negative ratings for 16 negative reviews, while there are 89 mixed ratings for 49 mixed reviews. I might be paranoid, but if my review happen to disappear, hopefully you will remember it.
    And please guys, understand that this game is not as good as you make it look like, again I didn't go in dept with my review, but many other people did successfully tell you what was wrong with it.
    Honestly this game is not a proper sequel to SM64, the DS version of the game was more of a sequel to be entirely honest.    … Expand
  24. SL36
    Oct 31, 2017
    7
    I was really really excited for this game. Nothing I love more than a 3D mario game. Sadly it's not quite up to snuff. My main issue is that it's just too easy. Sure they can hide stuff in a level and finding them can be a challenge, but there is very little actual platforming and none of it is particularly challenging. The 'moons' (did we really need to ditch stars?) are so plentifulI was really really excited for this game. Nothing I love more than a 3D mario game. Sadly it's not quite up to snuff. My main issue is that it's just too easy. Sure they can hide stuff in a level and finding them can be a challenge, but there is very little actual platforming and none of it is particularly challenging. The 'moons' (did we really need to ditch stars?) are so plentiful and easily gotten it doesn't feel like an accomplishment. It's a good game, and it's decently fun....but don't buy the switch just for this like I did.… Expand
  25. Ypp
    Nov 7, 2017
    7
    I had great expectations about this game, which ultimately proved underwhelming.

    The main quest is incredibly quick to complete, and I got no sentiment of progression through collecting the remaining moons. There are truckloads of moons just hanging around, most are not even a challenge to get (2 minutes apiece, tops). I also found the difficulty bar both too low for a seasoned gamer    I had great expectations about this game, which ultimately proved underwhelming.

    The main quest is incredibly quick to complete, and I got no sentiment of progression through collecting the remaining moons. There are truckloads of moons just hanging around, most are not even a challenge to get (2 minutes apiece, tops).

    I also found the difficulty bar both too low for a seasoned gamer such as myself, and too high for my 5 year-old son to complete, which is the worst of both world. Plus no dubbing means he can't play alone since he can't read yet.

    This is definitely a good game, but by no means an unforgettable experience.    … Expand
  26. DreamCore
    Nov 26, 2017
    7
    I really like the game but it has one BIG flaw, like many others have mentioned. The game is waaay too easy. Dying with the only penalty of losing 10 coins, I mean for real? The bosses are lauglably easy as well and I havent lost even once against the first few. It's as if the difficulty was aimed toward 6 year olds. Also you only need a very small amount of power moons to progress to theI really like the game but it has one BIG flaw, like many others have mentioned. The game is waaay too easy. Dying with the only penalty of losing 10 coins, I mean for real? The bosses are lauglably easy as well and I havent lost even once against the first few. It's as if the difficulty was aimed toward 6 year olds. Also you only need a very small amount of power moons to progress to the next world which makes exploring pointless unless your're a completionist. Would be nice if you were FORCED to gather larger amounts to make it a bit harder.… Expand
  27. Vinomadd
    Oct 27, 2017
    6
    SMO is a game marred by Nintendo's backward notion that it is still 1997. The controls are excellent, but the world they give you to explore is derivative, and shiftless in its design ethos. It suffers the same fate as Mario Sunshine in that it's a grab bag of gaming cliches that have nothing to do with what you'd expect from an actual Super Mario game. It makes a lot of the same mistakesSMO is a game marred by Nintendo's backward notion that it is still 1997. The controls are excellent, but the world they give you to explore is derivative, and shiftless in its design ethos. It suffers the same fate as Mario Sunshine in that it's a grab bag of gaming cliches that have nothing to do with what you'd expect from an actual Super Mario game. It makes a lot of the same mistakes Sonic Adventure did, and mirrors the obvious lack of direction Sega had when making that game. They didn't know what to do with Sonic in a 3D world so they threw everything at him: Urban environments, spaceships, form-shifting monsters, robots, generic video game cliche #374. SMO feels very much like this, and to add insult to injury, it fails to even take into consideration the last 15 years of game design developments since Mario Sunshine. It is a game that would have felt right at home on the Gamecube with its small levels, world hub design, and distinct lack of intrinsic Mario game elements.

    Is it a bad game? Certainly not. It's just not thoughtful enough to genuinely be worthy of Nintendo's flagship franchise. They've never been quite this careless with a Mario game, and it shows. Wait until this one is in the $30 bin.    … Expand
  28. Aumie
    Oct 28, 2017
    5
    If you look at the review scores and 90% of the users i am truly scared for how brainwashed we as humans can be in this day and age.
    The game is mediocre at best, I was looking forward to this and quite a fan of the series but this is nothing special.
    Way to easy, bland level design, no reason for the customization other than to create busy work, no feeling of accomplishment when you do    If you look at the review scores and 90% of the users i am truly scared for how brainwashed we as humans can be in this day and age.
    The game is mediocre at best, I was looking forward to this and quite a fan of the series but this is nothing special.
    Way to easy, bland level design, no reason for the customization other than to create busy work, no feeling of accomplishment when you do something and i felt myself getting bored half way through a level. The platform sections are a joke and the puzzles could be figured out by a half boiled potato. I could go on but there are actually worth while games that take longer than 5 hours to complete out there.    … Expand
  29. pctech86
    Oct 27, 2017
    7
    Forced motion controls are a thing in this game. Yep, others will say you can turn them off, and yes there is definitely an option for that except....it doesn't turn them off. You still readjust yourself and end up throwing your hat. Not to mention the accuracy of reading the motion controls leaves something strong to be desired. Often you will do something completely different thanForced motion controls are a thing in this game. Yep, others will say you can turn them off, and yes there is definitely an option for that except....it doesn't turn them off. You still readjust yourself and end up throwing your hat. Not to mention the accuracy of reading the motion controls leaves something strong to be desired. Often you will do something completely different than you were expecting because it read your motions incorrectly. This is compounded by the fact that there are some moves that are LITERALLY NOT AVAILABLE to users who don't use motion controls. Example: You flick the joycon to throw your hat. This works pretty well and when you flick your joycon again in midair it turns the hat into a homing missile. Very handy. So you flick once, and then flick again in midair (same action both times). But if you throw your hat with Y (since you dont want to use motion controls) it throws the hat, but the homing missile option isn't even available unless you actually flick your wrist. it's not like it lets you just press Y again midair. This makes no sense and really hampers a game that truly revolves around its controls and their response. Motion controls, until they can guarantee accuracy at the same levels of button presses need to only be an OPTION in games. Especially in a platformer.

    Next negative: It isn't open world, no matter what you read. The game is split into "kingdoms" (these are just levels). The levels themselves are fairly open with no direction, and there's a fair amount to do in an area after gettin enough moons to move on, but it is decidedly not an open world. I was hoping they would go sort of the direction that the lego games do - open level designs, but also a huge open world with puzzles that is how you traverse to the levels of the game.

    The sounds are great but the graphics are "meh". The game can't manage to run at 1080p for some reason, and has quite low res textures, very similar to the low res textures in BOTW. Disappointing.

    The game is a solid mario product and very fun, the mechanics of gameplay and the different abilities that can be utilized by possessing different creatures is the primary new thing in this mario game. It could have been better, should have been better but still a recommended purchase.

    Don't believe the hype train that says this game is the best game ever. it is a slightly enhanced mario game that follows every mechanic in games before (with the one exception of gaining new abilities by possession, but even this has been partially explored before in this franchise). It's a fun game and very enjoyable but there is very little new here or anything that made me go "wow".    … Expand
  30. Angel_Sigh
    Nov 6, 2017
    7
    Umm...how can I put this...?

    Okay, I think most people would say that Nintendo has had a pretty damn amazing 2017: Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, Arms, Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and now Mario Odyssey. That's an exclusive lineup of first party titles that any other publisher on earth would kill to have. It's the best year any publisher has had in a very, very long time...perhaps    Umm...how can I put this...?

    Okay, I think most people would say that Nintendo has had a pretty damn amazing 2017: Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, Arms, Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and now Mario Odyssey. That's an exclusive lineup of first party titles that any other publisher on earth would kill to have. It's the best year any publisher has had in a very, very long time...perhaps ever. All of those games are excellent, a few of them are game of the year contenders on their own, and Breath Of The Wild...well, I've written a long review where I tried, and failed, to get across in just 5000 characters how good a game it is. For me BotW is the greatest game ever made, so Nintendo would have had an incredible year even if it wasn't for all the other brilliant titles they've released.

    In light of that, in light of the incredible run of form they're on, and in light of just how much I enjoyed the Mario Galaxy games - which are the only 3D mario games that Nintendo really got right - I was expecting...a lot. I bought a Switch for this(I played BotW on my Wii-U in case you were wondering) and I waited to unbox it on the day Odyssey was released and the game came in the post - all because it's an 'event' kind of game.
    It genuinely pains me to say it, and I've been fighting against the feeling for a while now, but this is just nowhere near as brilliant as Galaxy 1 or 2. I'd have a hard time saying if it's as good as Super Mario 3D World. The problems are not that numerous but they are significant:

    - It's too easy. Simple as that. A lot of people have said it, and they're right.

    - The sensation of actually getting a moon is far less rewarding than getting a star(the moons are basically the Odyssey equivalent of stars from previous Marios) in Galaxy 1/2 or SM64. This is because there are over 800(!) of them. If you've played Breath Of The Wild think of it as the equivalent of collecting Koroks and nothing else- Koroks are fun, and they're a mild diversion in BotW, but to structure an entire game around them would not be enjoyable. And it isn't. Allied to that is the fact that some, even most, of the moons are as easy as finding a Korok. This touched on the problem of difficulty again.

    - But the difficulty is probably not the main problem. I could deal with it if it wasn't for the fact that the level design is so...uninspired. For anyone who's played either Mario Galaxy, even if you didn't like it as much ass I did, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to remember some piece of level design that impressed you, something that surprised you. For me those games were full of surprising, original, mind-bowing environments - I remember, for example, a level set in a house, where all the lights went off and a spotlight began moving through the place. As long as you stayed inside the spotlight you were okay but step outside and you died. Not because you couldn't keep up, or some enemy got you in the dark, but because the _only parts of the level that existed were the parts lit by the spotlight_ and if you wandered off you just fell into black nothingness. This allowed for a whole load of clever, on-the-fly challenges as you had to keep up with the spotlight. This was such a stunning level, so breathtakingly original, that I had to rewrite the previous bit three times before I could accurately convey what happened when you played it. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, in anything I've played so far that comes close to that level, or the many, many ones like it in Galaxy 1 and 2. The license to experiment that came with setting Galaxy in space and zero grav environments is lost in Odyssey, which is just flat progression from island-world to island-world.

    - Which leads me onto the final significant criticism - it's open world, which a lot of people like. Personally I don't think it works for Mario. Or at least Nintendo still haven't managed to make it work. When they put Mario in tight, focused, self-contained levels it is intense and imaginative and they can experiment with the design. There's no filler in the Galaxy games because they don't involve the constant wandering around and backtracking and empty spaces that all open-world games have. I fundamentally disagree with the idea of 3D Mario games being open-world - I think the twitch gameplay and imagination and focus and intensity of 2D Marios, which I grew up on and which I love, is diluted when it's transferred to an open world. The whole ethos of Mario is pure gameplay - it's not exploration and wandering about, and that kind of stuff just doesn't suit Mario, at least not as Nintendo have done it so far.

    There are a plenty of good elements to Odyssey - the controls are very tight and some of the Cappy captures are...fun. And the costumes get a big thumbs up. But fundamentally it is just lacking in the starburst of imagination and breathtaking level design that makes Mario at his best the greatest video game character there is. I am disappointed.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best Switch Game of 2017
2
#2 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
2
#2 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
97

Universal acclaim - based on 114 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 114 out of 114
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 114
  3. Negative: 0 out of 114
  1. Pocket Tactics
    Dec 3, 2024
    90
    While it was difficult to imagine how Nintendo could top previous 3D Mario adventures, Super Mario Odyssey is nigh-on perfect in almost every way. With the help of Cappy, Mario has never been as fun to control, reaching new heights and, in the hands of a skilled player, accomplishing impossible skips. You need only pick up a controller to see why this is the best modern Mario game ever.
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  2. CD-Action
    Jan 10, 2018
    100
    The best entry to the best platforming series is so ridiculously huge it’s like a theme park made of theme parks. It’s a wonderful tribute to Super Mario 64, but it’s not a lazy homage. Super Mario Odyssey draws inspiration from the superb classic to top it and everything that came after it. [13/2017, p.38]
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Jan 7, 2018
    95
    Perhaps no past Mario game has ever elicited so many smiles as this, and even if every other winning aspect of its design were set aside, that reality alone would make it a masterpiece. [Issue #31 – January/February 2018, p. 39E]
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