In this set of articles we’ll be comparing the two titles directly and try to determine if the remake actually improved on the original release or if you should stick to the original release.
Super Mario Odyssey is coming to Nintendo Switch on October 27th.Welcome everyone to the first installment in our series of grudge matches between an original game and its remake. 10 minutes in New Donk City isn’t enough. What is clear from even just a few moments, though, is that this is a game bursting with ideas, and one that brings back a style of game that Mario has been missing for years. Super Mario Odyssey introduces new ideas and mechanics that seem like they will take some time to get used to, as they significantly alter a very familiar formula. Of course, it’s impossible to get a proper sense of what a huge game like this is like by playing for such a short time. It’s a structure somewhat reminiscent of the bite-sized shrines in Switch launch title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, making the game another great example of the Switch’s flexibility.
It’s a game that you can play for long sessions in order to follow the missions, or in short bursts while you collect a few moons in portable mode. The structure of the game may lend itself well to the hybrid nature of the Switch. When I reverted back to standard controls, I found it much easier to hit targets. You can use the Joy-Con controllers to simulate tossing Mario’s hat, but in my demo the aiming felt off, and I was able the throw with accuracy maybe 50 percent of the time. It gets even harder when you factor in motion controls that - during my brief experience - felt frustratingly imprecise. This complexity is combined with some surprisingly tricky level design, which results in a game that isn’t as easy to pick-and-play compared to other Mario titles. It’s a big enough place that Odyssey includes a mini-map complete with objective markers to help you your way around - the only other entry in the series to do this was Super Mario 64 DS. In addition to collecting coins and moons, there was also a main quest line to follow, which involved finding a series of musicians scattered throughout the city. Part of that has to do with just how much there is to do in each level.
If you’ve played a lot of Mario before, the new abilities force you to change the way you think about these spaces, and in my brief time with the game it felt slightly overwhelming. At one point, I struggled to make a long jump between two buildings, only to realize I needed the help of my hat to get across. These additions made the game feel more complex than what I’m used to from a Mario game. Cappy also changes up traversal: if you toss the hat in front of you, it can double as a platform to reach new areas. Perhaps most notable, the hat also takes over the power-up role for Mario throw it at certain enemies, vehicles, and other characters, and Mario will take control of them, turning the plumber into everything from a tank to dinosaur to his oldest nemesis, the lowly goomba.
You can toss Mario’s hat to collect coins, attack enemies, and activate objects like an electronic zip line. It’s not just a new character, complete with huge expressive eyes, but a new tool. But new in Odyssey is his sentient hat Cappy. Mario still has his traditional jumping and climbing abilities. The core of the experience feels largely familiar. I earned my first moon by leaping into a game of jump rope and successfully making a handful of hops.
Some stages feature pixelated warp pipes that turn the game into an old-school side-scrolling experience, complete with a moon at the end. You can bounce on cars like they’re trampolines, climb your way up lampposts, and slide down glass buildings.
Super Mario Odyssey designers want you to engage with the world and discover how it reacts. Many can be earned through experimentation. Other moons can be earned by completing tiny objectives or larger missions. Some are obvious, glowing temptingly on top of skyscrapers or tucked away in back alleys. (Nintendo says there are significantly more moons to find in Odyssey than the “stars” and “shines” in previous games.) In this case, they’re objects called power moons, and you need to gather a certain number of them to move on to the next big area. Much like in its predecessors, one of the big goals of Odyssey is to collect things. The area I played - New Donk City - is a New York-style urban cityscape, complete with tall buildings, yellow taxis, green parks, and properly proportioned humans who look bizarre standing next to the squat, cartoonish Mario. Super Mario Odyssey review: an absolute delight