Anniversary: Can You Believe It? Super Mario Odyssey Is Now Four Years Old

4 years ago, I was only a couple weeks into my 3 month trip to Japan. Even though I’d pre-ordered this months in advance back home, I hardly even noticed it had launched, aside from adverts in 7/11. Best time of my life

I’d kill for a new 3D Mario. Loved Odyssey and yet there hasn’t been a follow up.

I think I will need to replay his one with a 100% run eventualy, really want a new 3D mario though, Bowser's Fury was good but it had it's flaws and was obviously in no way a full 3D mario experience

Edit: Lol @nessisonett beat me

I think its about time for a new 3d mario

Those were the days...

This game is underpriced at $60. 😊

I ended up returning and tracking down all the moons (with some guides).

Hot damn, 4 years?

Odyssey 2 when Nintendo?

My bets are on a new SMB entry supporting the movie (a la The Wizard). It’d be supremely weird to not get a mario movie tie-in of all things

First game I bought on my Switch in late 2019. I actually caught it on sale for 41.99 on the eShop.

Loved every second of it. Especially the entire sequence with Pauline in New Donk City. It was a love letter to both Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. NES.

This is one of those games i come back to again and again. Mario's moves are so polished and smooth, its a joy just to run around in but i would love to get a sequel.

@HedgehogEngine You’re probably right, but Galaxy had a sequel on the same console. Never say never!

@NinChocolate I don’t think it’d be strange, personally. A game based on a movie based on a game seems more odd, imo. Plus, neither the anime or live-action Mario films had game tie-ins, nor the Sonic movie, and I feel the latter was a lot more likely to get a game adaptation than Mario’s is.

Surprised by the praise it’s getting in the comments. I thought it was a huge letdown.

What a glorious game this was. I had been waiting for a proper successor to 64 and Sunshine for 15 years!

I’m glad for people who love it, but it’s one of my least favorite Mario games. The best part were the 2D levels. For a long time I hoped they would Captain Toad those by releasing a game just based on them.

finally old enough to drink

What? Time passed? Hogwash.

I'm so surprised they haven't announced a sequel yet, still holding out for one next year. Please Nintendo.

Somehow, i am not getting warm with Odyssey.
3D Allstars was a better Match for me, since i never played Galaxy and it is truly great!

@Markiemania95 I have a mind to agree with that, for sure. But I also feel there’s a much higher level of executive coordination between Nintendo and this movie’s production than there was in past years’ Nintendo-linked media. I’d say the same is also the case when comparing Sega’s involvement with the sonic movie, which I think was more of a license deal than a concerted effort of brand and company representation that the Mario movie will be for Nintendo. We’re probably not going to get a downright hideous rendering of Mario that makes the original creators wonder what the hell happened…as was the case with that Sonic film.

One game that didnt do it for me at all. I cant put my finger on why but i just couldnt warm to it despite getting right up to the city stage. Its really strange as i didnt gel with 3d all stars or the "New" series either. I think im just burnt out on Mario games. 64 and the Galaxy games are my favourites. Dont flame me 😂

@Markiemania95 4 years ago I was wanted for fraud and imbezelment

Best Mario game in the series to date.

The pure joy this game brought me! Did 100% twice since. The moves Mario has and how good one can get in them is incredible. Best presentation of a 3D Mario so far and a celebration of the whole franchise. I'm dying for the sequel!

Super Mario Odyssey really is one of the best games I've ever played. Hopefully we get a game equally as good as this in the future.

It‘s the only 3D Mario game I go back to beside Mario 64. Every jump feels so natural and even after a million jumps it is still fun to wahoo through the landscape.
Story-wise, the whole trip you take just feels like a movie that stays original while giving us just the right amount of fan service.
With Odyssey, they proved what they are capable of after all these years and I think it‘s going to be near impossible to top it.

I wish for a game focusing on the 2D parts. Give us some hub worlds with the main focus of finding the platforming areas.

One of the best gaming experiences of my adult life was experiencing Odyssey spoiler-free for the first time. I'd love a sequel on Switch!

Four years old? No way! Time flies

Such an overrated game. The difficulty stays very low, even in most of the post-game, and the worlds are disappointingly small. I hope the next Mario game will be more ambitious.

For some reason, Odyssey just didn't do it for me despite me being as hyped for it as you'd expect. It's not a bad game in any sense, but I just couldn't shake the off-kilter feeling I had despite playing well into the post-game. I really tried, but parts of it just annoy me; the fact that the Power Moon missions feel like quantity over quality and make the game feel grindy, that the possession mechanic isn't as interesting as it should be, and some really jarring missteps in character design (those [expletive] Broodals) and worldbuilding (the Mushroom Kingdom being a tiny mushroom-shaped island just doesn't feel right somehow).

However, I did like the subtle nods to 30+ years of Mario lore, possibly the best Bowser section in the series, Pauline and Peach's characterisation and the fact that Pauline returned at all, and the willingness to play with slightly more realistic-looking environments which always works better than you would think in Mario's universe. But somehow it just wasn't my thing as a whole. Call me crazy.

@chipia
Just curious, what would you call your favorite 3D Mario game then? I don‘t recall any of them to feature more exploration elements or significantly more difficulty than Odyssey. Galaxy 1 and 2 had rather linear level design and Sunshine and 64 weren‘t as expansive either. I‘d agree that one or two kingdoms wouldn‘t have hurt, though. But still, I‘d rather have less kingdoms that are fleshed out instead of dozens that feel unfinished.

My least favorite Mario game. I really didn’t like Odyssee. Played a few hours till the credits rolled and could not believe I was already there. Then getting all the moons felt like some sort of backtracking to me. So I don’t understand all the praise TBH.

@chipia Lol, this is by far the most ambitious Mario game ever, but still not enough for you huh.

@Bolt_Strike problaby on the Switch sucessor.

Still one of my favorites.

before Super Mario Odyssey was released, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was my favorite 3D Mario game, Super Mario Odyssey is a masterpiece, now Super Mario Odyssey is my favorite 3D Mario game and i waiting for his sequel on Switch or it sucessor.

@Rosalinho not crazy n sums up how I feel. Some of those worlds had like 50+ moons I swear, it really felt like having to check every nook n cranny in these not-so-giant levels that it took some magic or "mission" feel out of it. Definitely coulda honed that in imo, but I prefer a linear mario anyway so who am I to say? But I did find a lot of fun parts in it and def not disappointed, although not swept away like i was with 3d world

@Kidfunkadelic83 I'm not getting into Odyssey either. The characters are cute but the game as a whole isn't grabbing my attention. I love 3D World and Mario 64 so I don't know why this isn't doing anything for me.

Loved this game so much. For me it's the best 3D Mario game and it's sad after 4 years we didn't even get a trailer for a new 3D Mario.

This game was the reason I bought my switch.

At least on some level, worry if they're capable of making another game like this.

@Sciqueen i absolutely loved 64 and still love it today. Mario has been refined alot more recently but i just dont get the same feeling playing any other Mario game.

I have finished Super Mario Odyssey since January 2018.....and (almost) didn't touch the game again after finished the storyline.
It was quite fun 3D Mario games, the easiest in my opinion but.... Ratchet & Clank on PS2 + PS3 + PS4 got my attention. 😏

I think over the course of those four years, this game has grown on me a lot. It's probably the most fun Switch game, or game in general. It's the only game that I've 100%'d three times.

One of my favourite games of all time, pure joy in game form. Completed it twice so far and will go back for a third run next year

I love this game, it's awesome! 😁❤️

@nessisonett
I take it Bowser's Fury wasn't enough for you to see it as something new?

My only 2 complains with this game (and one it's a superfluous one) is that if I close my eyes, I could swear I'm playing a mickey mouse game, sometimes even the voice sound Mickey-ish and I hate that feeling cuz I don't like mickey like, at all and I love Mario. Other than that (let's be honest, the game feel rushed in the sense that it is really a short game for a super Mario one) this is as good a super Mario game as it gets

Was my first switch game, and the perfect one to start off on! I still boot it up once in a while to grab a couple moons

@ShadowWeaver421 dam, that is how old my og switch is, i brought the switch because of odyssey!! 😁😁

@Duffman92 Just because a flaw has been present in earlier Mario games doesn't mean that it's OK to remain in new games. Video games have developed a lot since Mario 64 and Sunshine. Also, the Worlds in Mario Odyssey were not "fleshed out" at all. Worlds like Hat Kingdom, Cloud Kingdom, Dark side (and others) were tiny and lacking in content.

And earlier Mario Games had a much better difficulty curve than odyssey, I've recently replayed the old games on NSO and they had a much steadier and more satisfying difficulty curve.

Mario Odyssey is the best 3D Mario game ever.

@ModdedInkling Ehhhh, wasn’t a big fan of 3D World at the time, didn’t like it any more on a second play on Switch. Bowser’s Fury was underwhelming because it felt like a tech demo instead of a full game. If they used those concepts and made a proper full game of them then sure, but it just wasn’t meaty enough.

We need a sequel ASAP

For some reason I just couldn't get into this game. Made two attempts. Second time I got further, but still lost interest and never finished.

@chipia I agree, Mario Odyssey just felt empty to me, like something was missing.

Mario Odyssey was good, but it feels like a game that was missing the magic. I am so surprised that a sequel never came... It felt like all the ingredients were there to build an amazing sequel.

Nintendo have massively overdone it on porting older Mario to the console - to the point where Mario burnout is genuinely a thing - and they've neglected new content.

It's surprising as they are typically more cautious with their approach to releasing older content. And I actually respect that caution a lot more after the mess they've made of Mario on Switch - the height of which is surely the Mario 64 debacle of 3D all stars versus the NSO upgrade.

Outright New Mario Games
Mario Odyssey

Sequels
Mario Maker 2

Ports
Mario 64
Mario Sunshine
Mario Galaxy
Mario 3D World
New Super Mario Bros U

This is poor by Nintendo's very high standards. How has there still been nothing new in the 2D Mario world, too?

And don't give me "anniversary". Since when was 35 a big number to celebrate anyway?! Very strange times for Mario fans.

My favorite 3D Mario title hands down. I'm buying my 6-year-old cousin a copy to sit aside the Switch Santa's bringing her (I hope) this Christmas. I may have to help the fat man out trying to find one. The original Super Mario Bros was my first platformer. It'll be an honor to make Mario Odyssey hers.

I think this is the best Mario game ever made, by some margin.

Quite shocked to see how mixed the opinions are on this comment section.

My previous favourite was Mario 64, didn't think any other Mario would be able to match that and the magic it had at the time, but this does. The feeling of pure fun you have just running around the beautifully crafted levels, and the incredibly tight and responsive controls at a solid 60fps, make it a joy to play, it never gets old.

The number of levels, and the sheer variety of worlds certainly help its case too, and the great soundtrack - especially the forest and lake worlds.

A 10/10 game, simply one of the best games I've ever played, and the main reason I bought a Switch.

@chipia
Still not sure what that flaw is supposed to be though. Admittedly, I would have loved to see more of Ruined Kingdom after fighting that dragon but apart from that I feel that the overall length is just right.

An example of too much content for me would be Crash 4, if you‘ve played that one. They have so many great ideas and they did implement them well, but stages feel too long for my taste. The box count is just so over the top and some of them are so 'well' hidden that at some point I didn‘t even bother to collect them all, anymore. Then of course you have time trials where you have to complete the whole thing in one go, which basically means you have to learn these long as levels by heart.
I don‘t know, since gaming has become more of a secondary hobby for me nowadays I guess I don‘t want to invest so much time in it anymore. That‘s where a game like SMO works so wonderfully because it gives you a complete and polished experience without having to sit down for hours to get your gaming fix.

@nessisonett
Yeah, I figured you'd say that. At the very least, it's an indication of something we might see in the future for 3D Mario games.

No need for the “in the Super Mario series” qualifier. One of the greatest 3D platformers full stop.

@FroZtedFlakerZz Replaying is cool and all, but I’ll be plenty proud (and generous with my time) just going back to my original save to attempt 100%. I don’t know how many I have left but it’s a lot lol. Know how many you’ve got? (Also, I haven’t looked at any guides.)

I remember being bitter about how underpowered the switch was but I also remember seeing that video and being amazed how good Nintendo did making that game. awesome

@Rosalinho You’re crazy. 😜

Nah you’re good haha, but a lot of that does sound like a you problem. I thought it was a joyous platforming extravaganza the likes of which I scarcely dared to hope possible of Nintendo’s modern era.

Still, I don’t have a problem with you critiquing the game and sharing your opinions. Thought they were fair enough. (Just wrong, lol) 😉

Edit:
I will add my one criticism, but it has more to do with Nintendo generally than it does with Odyssey specifically. So when you want to invert the X-Axis (to be like most other Nintendo games, Sunshine, Mario 64, Twilight Princess, etc), it allows that, which is great, but then it also inverts first person aiming which is horrible. So whenever I was a tank or something I’d have to awkwardly rely on motion aiming or pause and change my control scheme back and forth when using those enemies... I got through it, but definitely hindered the experience.

Great game. I may play through again. Back log shoves me.Errr Some day.

@BlubberWhale I mean, I am close but I'd just feel better with a fresh restart, I've got around 800 and I believe there is 900 or 999? I got really close but just got bored of the missions and with like the jumprope and car racing one I really just didn't want to do em (so when I do go back I may implement some glitches for those) I didn't use any guides besides when I got to Dark moon I tried looking for a glitch to skip it but couldn't find an easy one so I just did it, and it wasn't that hard actually, I just didn't feel like fighting all of them again lol

I loved the game but I also understand that some of the kingdoms felt a little rushed, Cap Kingdom had nothing interesting about it considering it was the first kingdom you get to, the Cascade kingdom is relatively small for the type of kingdom it is and didn’t offer very much, I just wanted more going on with that kingdom which didn’t do it for me. The cloud kingdom was boring. The ruined kingdom could have been so much more. The best kingdoms I had to say which stood out was the Sand kingdom, Wooded Kingdom and the Seaside kingdom.

Though I’d love to see the first true open-world Mario game. Traveling and platforming in huge areas, solving puzzles and beating bosses of certain areas and finding Secret places…maybe like finding jungle areas where you find Donkey Kong, or mines filled with rare diamonds and gems and finding out that it’s Wario.

There’s so many possibilities with Mario. He really is Nintendo’s toy box of imagination and ideas

Great game. Loved it. I hope Nintendo builds upon it's ideas and maybe adds a bit of Galaxyism to the next great Super Mario game.

@Longondo I visited for a couple of weeks the year before that as well. I intend on going again as soon as legally possible, if not outright move there.