Hats Off To Mario!

A breath of fresh air for the Mario series.

If you’ve played video games, you know Mario.

Mario has been a staple at Nintendo for several decades, along with The Legend of Zelda series. Every Nintendo home console has had a Mario game in its library. His popularity has gone past video games with multiple movies and shows as well as board games.

At the end of 2016, things were not looking great at Nintendo. Their current home console, the Wii U, had not done well in terms of sales and was a major disappointment compared to the Wii. Even the Mario series had been struggling. Games were still being sold, but most fans seemed to buy them out of obligation rather than excitement. Something had to change, and it needed to happen quickly.

Nintendo’s next home console, the Nintendo Switch, launched in March 2017. It immediately became a smashing success, in large part because of its launch title- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A few months later, MarioKart 8 Deluxe was released which allowed gamers a chance to actively experience the title after it had been stranded on the Wii U. But even though MarioKart was a good overall choice to keep most fans happy, Mario fans held their breath for something just on the horizon. In the fall of 2017, Super Mario Odyssey was released.

The main story has similar themes to previous titles but a very different approach. Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach and is attempting to marry her. In order to get ready for the wedding, Bowser is collecting magical artifacts from different lands. At the beginning of the game, Mario’s traditional red cap is replaced by a sentient hat named Cappy who comes from a land full of sentient headwear. (I know this is weird, but just go with it). Mario uses his magical hat to complete puzzles and fight off enemies on his quest to foil Bowser’s plan.

Although the overall story might feel like a rehash, the gameplay is really what sets this game apart. By throwing Cappy at certain environmental elements, Mario is able to transform into them and use their abilities to solve puzzles. This allows the player to think outside of the box and experiment with different choices to find unique solutions.

Having trouble breathing underwater? Turn into a fish!

There's also the concept of Power Moons. In order to chase Bowser down, Mario is using an airship named The Odyssey, which runs on Power Moons. At each world, you are tasked with finding a certain amount of Power Moons by exploring and completing puzzles. There are several hundred moons in the game, far more than is actually necessary to complete the main story. This is meant to encourage exploration after the credits roll. Some of them are simple and easy to find while others require careful timing and planning. The game itself is not particularly challenging, but if you're looking for difficult puzzles, you can find them.

They have also changed the purpose of coins ever so slightly. Every Mario game has coins for you to collect. In most newer titles, instead of having a set number of lives before the game ends permanently, there is a segmented life bar. If all pieces are depleted, you are forced to restart from your last checkpoint after losing a handful of coins that you have collected. In this game, each world also has special purple coins that can be used in unique shops. These coins can buy different costumes themed to each land and decorations for The Odyssey. Certain costumes will allow you to unlock secret areas in each world in an attempt to gain more Power Moons.

It's always satisfying to add a Power Moon to your collection.

I wasn't able to buy a Switch on launch day, but I remember that particular frenzy that occurred when it released. Everyone was talking about Zelda, and then everyone was talking about Mario. I was definitely interested in the system but at the time it had been somewhat out of my price range. A year and a half later, I was finally able to purchase one and had enough extra money for a single game. I debated between Zelda and Mario for several minutes before finally choosing Mario and hoping I had made the right decision.

Because it was my only title for my new console at the time, I spent a lot of extra time with it exploring and experimenting. I do think that this helped me to appreciate the game even more beyond my initial enjoyment. The visuals looked great and the game ran smoothly. It felt familiar but was just different enough to keep my attention. With all the extra content that was included after the main story, it was a perfect title to take on the go, which is a big selling point for the Switch. Overall, the title felt like one giant love letter to Mario, and it was clear that Nintendo really wanted to breathe new life into an ongoing series. It actually became one of my favorite Mario games and I often recommend it to individuals who have just picked up a Switch. Even now, it remains one of the highest selling Nintendo Switch titles, several years into the system’s lifetime.

This clip below shows one of the more fun puzzle solutions.

I've heard a lot of criticism against the Mario franchise, saying that it's not as deep as some flagship titles of other studios or even as impressive as other Nintendo titles. While I will agree that Mario does have more of an appeal to younger audiences than other major games, that doesn't mean that they're not fun. And since the whole point of video games is to have fun, I don't see any particular issue with this series. I think Super Mario Odyssey really gives the player a chance to try out their puzzle solving skills and also provides gamers a title to play with their family members that is easily understood and enjoyed by all.

So, if you're a Nintendo Switch owner who has somehow been living under a rock, by all means give this game a try. Throw your hat into the ring… or rather Mario's hat.

This post was written by Vanessa Hart, creator of Deep Dive Gaming