Super Mario Odyssey Critic Reviews

Like Breath of the Wild, Odyssey is a new entry in a long-running series that belies its age with sprightly invention, taking big risks with an established formula, and having all of them pay off handsomely. Mario might be getting on a bit, then, but a dinosaur? This astonishing adventure proves he's anything but.

I’d usually count myself a completionist who’s only goal is to earn every single achievement possible, but Super Mario Odyssey showed me that there’s so much more to it than collecting things. Maybe I’ll revisit the wonder of the Cascade Kingdom and ride a Tyrannosaurus Rex. I could even play fetch with a shiba inu amongst the sand dunes, or bust out Mario’s infamous swimsuit and test my skills against an ornery octopus thirsty for revenge. The best part of getting to the game’s ending is the fact that it’s a journey of your own creation, and if you reflect on the game as a whole, it’s really a linear quest that somehow feels more freeing than the largest open-world game.

Super Mario Odyssey is a masterpiece. It surprised me regularly, delighted me constantly, and smashed my expectations in ways I’d never have predicted. The deftly woven combination of nostalgic themes, intuitive gameplay, and incredibly inventive design make this not only the best Mario game to date, but one of the most joyful and compelling games ever made.

It’s impossible to pinpoint a fault in Super Mario Odyssey, which both elegantly and eloquently surprises and calls back to its storied history. It’s a game full of surprises; one that plays with your expectations and supersedes them in almost every way. If you have a Switch (or are yet to get one), it’s simply essential.

A mix of the nostalgic, the fantastical, and the wonderfully bizarre, Mario's latest adventure provides more than a dozen tantalizing playgrounds to explore. With hundreds of collectibles, Kingdoms full of delightful details, and secrets waiting around every corner, Super Mario Odyssey is bound to keep players exploring long after the credits roll.

This is another Mario all-time classic that we'll be remembering and celebrating for decades to come.

Mario's latest outing is big, bold, and bursting with new ideas, and like Breath of the Wild, is another instance of Nintendo going above and beyond to redefine our expectations. It's a shining example of refined creativity, and another crown jewel for Switch that is without equal.

Platforming perfection, full stop.

A joyful celebration - and evolution - of the Super Mario series, that encapsulates all the fun and creativity of video gaming at its very best.

Not since Super Mario 64 has a Mario adventure had me this captivated, immersed or impressed. Super Mario Odyssey is Nintendo's finest Super Mario title yet, and easily the most impressive Nintendo Switch title available. With so much to see and do - long after you've dispatched Bowser - you'll be returning to the Odyssey for a long time. Essential for all Switch owners and worth buying a Switch for. It's that good.

Super Mario Odyssey represents a shift in direction for Mario. For about a decade we had exceptional but tightly structured 3D series entries, but this new arrival's building blocks go back to Super Mario 64. It's a very modern take on 'sandbox Mario', however - Cappy and his abilities are key additions that freshen up the formula, and we have a sizeable and diverse set of lands to explore. Odyssey will, inevitably, now enter the discussions about the 'best' Mario games. This writer won't be crowning it as number one just yet, but it is nevertheless worthy of the discussion. Particularly in the second half and post-credits it takes on a life of its own, showcasing incredible design and development flair. It's also a wonderful showcase for the Switch, and could introduce a whole new audience to the wonders of Mario in three dimensions. For the veterans among us, it's yet another special release to remind us of why Mario is still gaming's number one.

The pleasure of Super Mario Odyssey comes in the constant promise of something new. It is, in many ways, the greatest digital holiday you will ever take. An idea that Nintendo is very much aware of with the ever expanding wardrobe of travelling outfits, detailed maps for each Kingdom laid out like travel brochures and souvenirs that you can buy up with stage-specific coins. The variety, invention and sheer generosity on each trip is bewildering, an affirmation that Nintendo in this kind of exuberant form are absolutely peerless. A trip to savour. And not a second wasted.

Super Mario Odyssey is bursting at the seams with creativity, as Nintendo plays with new ideas while also paying homage to their long history. Cappy's abilities are a perfect compliment to Mario's own, and there's a wonderful silliness and humour to their adventure as they visit a string of contrasting kingdoms that just beg you to find the secrets hidden around every corner. Simply put, Super Mario Odyssey is a masterpiece.

Nintendo has managed, not once, but twice now in 2017 to take one of their beloved franchises, give it a breath of fresh air while still retaining the core of what made the series great in the first time. Super Mario Odyssey is a wonder and shows everyone why Mario is still king.

By jumping aboard the Odyssey, Mario takes us on a trip where await nothing but discoveries and wonders all along. By gathering elements from every game of the franchise, Nintendo expand the classic gameplay with Cappy's possession. Diverse, intelligent, colorful and incredibly long and surprising, the free exploration will satisfy both curious and hardcore gamers. Super Mario Odyssey sanctifies a 30-year-old series that still amazes us episode after episode.

As someone who enjoys level-based Super Mario games more, I have to say that Odyssey blew me away. With the next Power Moon constantly within reach, the push forward is constant. Using Mario's expanded moveset, unique challenges are abound while trying to collect your next Power Moon. Even the lack of traditional power-ups doesn’t hurt the experience at all, as the team of Mario and Cappy offers all sorts of wonderful new abilities. The journey of this odyssey took me to all sorts of amazing worlds that I already find myself missing. Now that I've seen every bit of it, I look back on my adventure with a great smile. It is an incredible experience that I felt extremely compelled to complete, simply because I didn't want it all to end. Only the best games pull that feeling out of me, and this one did just that. Super Mario Odyssey is my favorite game on Switch by a long shot.

It carried ginormous expectations, but somehow Nintendo has managed to leapfrog over the bar by a huge distance. Offering the most satisfying gameplay experience of any Mario game to date, Super Mario Odyssey is near-perfect.

Super Mario Odyssey is the best game available on Nintendo Switch, and just might be my favorite game of the year. It isn’t just a masterclass of level and sound design, it’s a celebration of the Super Mario franchise, and one of helluva celebration to take part in.

The wait is over; the pinnacle of 3D adventures has arrived in the form of Super Mario Odyssey. It beggars belief just how much Nintendo has packed into this latest outing, without compromising the core Mario goodness of the past. Just as with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Mario series has now reached a special new level of greatness that will be hard to surpass in the future. The Nintendo Switch is fast becoming the hottest platform, crammed full of sublime quality gaming experiences like this fantastic new escapade.

Super Mario Odyssey takes everything that made its predecessors masterpieces of gaming and blends them together into an unforgettable, new and unique experience that packs an absurd amount of content and which will keep players clinging on to it for many, many wonderful hours to come. An absolute monument of a game that gets everything right and which comes down to not only one of the greatest games of this generation but one of the greatest games of all time.