Super Mario Odyssey
Packed as the nominees for the Switch were, as many had guessed, the real race was between two of Nintendo’s major franchises. A newZeldathat changed the way open games are played, a new 3DMariogame with tons of gameplay tweaks and challenges? Both in the Switch’s first year of release? Yeah, it’s kind of nuts.
But in the end, it could only go toSuper Mario Odyssey.
Whether or not this vote was boosted by how much newerOdysseyis to its competition, in the endOdysseyjust had a wider reach.Breath of the Wildmay have dominated conversation in quite a few circles for the better part of 2017, butOdysseybasically took over the world. With good reason, too.
NewSuper Mariogames usually introduce one new key mechanic, butOdysseychanged how platformers are even made. Tough platform challenges could be skipped altogether with the right amount of skill, exploring even the smallest and most hidden corners had a rewarding feeling, and even when you feel like you’ve ended up where you’re not supposed to be, there’s a pile of coins to reward you for stumbling on the area.
Super Mario Odysseymakes it fun to experiment with your surroundings, and enhanced theMarioformula. Platforming challenges were more enticing to go on, because the punishment for them weren’t as harsh. It was much easier to think to myself, “Just one more moon!” and even doubly more engrossing thanks to the Switch’s go anywhere type of system.
I jumped across the moon while waiting in the doctor’s office, I drove a moped to escape from a raging tyrannosaurus in the middle of busy city (both in fiction and reality), and then when I decided to pick it up and play again, there were plenty of moons left to get, costumes to wear, and platforming challenges to overcome.
