Here we go indeed!

I had things planned differently, as I intended for this game to be my 100th review on here, but why wait to celebrate so long? Today I got 100 followers, and this requires some partying! I know it may be silly, but I really want to show my appreciation for all of you, and what better way than to talk about this adventure of a game? You could say my hat is off to y'all, but cut the sentimentalisms for now...

... we have an odyssey to live.

I tend to talk about my relationship with a game, being prior or after playing it, when it’s a work to which I'm especially fond off; well, believe me when I tell you that with this one is no different. As much of a fan as I am of the red plumber, I actually arrived pretty late to the 3D party, or rather, I never stayed for the full duration. I never had the opportunity to even touch 64 or Sunshine for the longest time, and for those that I did play, like both Galaxy games and 64 DS. Yep, that's right, I didn't beat Galaxy until 2020 Jesus Christ I'm a disgrace. I always liked what I played, but for one reason or another (mainly me just not having time or simply being bad) I never finish them, and so, for the longest time, the only 3D Mario game I completed was 3D Land...

BUT THEN 2017 HAPPENNED! It's common knowledge at this point that 2017 had some BANGERS of releases, but for me personally, it was perhaps the most important year as someone that loves this medium. I got the chance to play so many incredible games, some that would even stay as favorites of mine, and Odyssey's release had me excited in a way that its unique to it. However, this was a time when I only had the chance to get new games when it was as presents either in my birthday or during Christmas, as I was still in high school back then and barely even knew what ''taxes'' were... truly happy times. Anyway, I already accepted the fact that I would need to wait a bit before I managed to get the game... and then E3's Nintendo Direct happened and it turned out the game was going to release a day before my birthday.

When I came back from high school that sweet autumn Friday, my father had already bought the game, as a day before present, and well... let's just say I spent a liiiiiiiiiiiittle too much time inside my room playing the game that weekend. Those three days I spent adventuring and jumping kinda made something click in my brain, for the first time I was analyzing every nook and cranny that the game had to offer as much as I was experiencing it, and it amazes me that every time I came back to it, everything held up just as I remembered it, from the very beginning.

Mario games have always been dictated by one single principle: movement, and to be even more precise, what challenges do they create around that movement. It's a game in itself, of creating a ''problem'' and then finding a ''solution'' to it through the level design. You could argue, and you would be right, that all games do follow this process in some way or another, but with Mario, it has always been even more apparent. They all share this ''toy-box'' like feel, and I say this in the best way possible; whether it's a big open map or a little linear Galaxy, all of Mario's adventures have this sense of being purely designed with one singles objective in mind, being fun. Odyssey not only once again tackles this way of design, but it goes even further beyond than any game in the series has ever gone before it.

Mario’s movement has be the best it has ever felt in a 3D space, and in a way it’s the absolute culmination of all of his prior abilities. The dive, long-jump and the new introduced Cappy amount to a movability that should be illegal, you can perform almost everything your mind can muster and do some incredible tricks, all while traversing the kingdoms and constantly experimenting with whatever you come across, and that’s precisely where the ‘’captures’’ enter. Apar from being an incredible cool system that lets you become most of the enemies you come across, the puzzles than involve it are some of the creative ever put into a 3D space. Making chain reactions with the Chain Chomps (hey there’s the pun!), gliding as an old dino, making towers of goombas or just being a goddamn cactus, the surprises just keep coming over and over, and that is what sparks your imagination. You begin to ask: ‘’can I do this?’’, ‘’can I make this jump if I get enough rocket flowers?’’, ‘’can this capture go over water?’’, ‘’is there actually something at the bottom of this ‘’endless’’ pit?’’ and much, much more. On the surface, and sometimes even in practice, it’s extremely simple, but it goes a long way in activating the funny part on the brain that likes videogames, and fills you with child-like wonder at the mere thought of trying something new, and it’s not only the movement and level design that achieves this, but also everything that surrounds it.

The kingdoms are, alongside Isle Delfino and some of Galaxy’s galaxies, the most alive that a place in a Mario platformer have ever felt; the music and visuals are so distinct between each other, yet they still manage to fit in the context of this absolute bonkers world. They all follow a more ‘’open-world’’ route, but at the same time, retain the more linear style of is more direct predecessors; while you are free to go around and explore to find secret, hidden moons, you also are compelled to follow the more direct path, one that follows the story, and every time you get a ‘’main moon’’ the kingdom changes, which lets you advance even further. But the game doesn’t make this path mandatory, in fact, in a lot of kingdoms you can get the necessary number of moons to advance without even getting a single important moon, but you’ll likely still take this more linear route at first. Not only is a perfect way to familiarize yourself with the kingdom, the surprises that wait you if you decide to go through range from fighting a giant octopus across an entire sea kingdom, participating in a race of bouncing seals, or a amazing festival that could have perfectly been the secret ending to the game for how outstanding it is visually wise and the feeling of celebration and victory it gives: a festival not done to and for Mario, but more more-so to us, to everyone that plays the game.

Many have pointed out the inconsistency of the moons, and while I’m not gonna defend it all, and I’m fact I’m going to admit that my biggest problem with the game is the amount of moons there’s in here, it reaches the absurd and some of them aren’t worth it at all, and going 100% in this is an absolute nightmare… yet I still know why they did it this way. So many moons, some harder to get, some easier, makes it so that depending on which type of player you are, your experience is going to change; this freedom has a purpose, both for inviting you to discover anything you can, and to take things at your own pace, it’s an adventure that’s all about letting you decide which step you are going to take, what are you going to do in each kingdom, how’s going to be YOUR odyssey?

Regardless, the end is the same, the incredible final battle against Bowser that culminates in a escaping sequence that to this day feels so, so special. Each little moment, even if it advances the adventure or not, moments that can go from defeating a giant mecha-bunny in the moon to just sitting down and having a conversation with someone on a bench; aside from the bench I wouldn’t call this moments touching, emotional or much less profound, but it’s… nice, it’s… joyful. I know that I sound biased, and maybe I am, I’m not denying that, but I truly believe this game is very special, is a voyage that I only like and enjoy more as time passes, as things change, as hearts break, there’s a comfort in the little and big moments, and this dumb game about an Italian plumber is full of them. A lot of people don’t see them, and honestly, I absolutely get it, maybe I just like jumping too much or my life experiences have made me too soft with this one, but I truly see a work of art that seeks to be pure joy, I can’t call it lacking, I can’t criticize it for something it isn’t, and maybe I should, but I’m just too bewildered to even consider doing it, and once I do it… what is left for me to say?

It's an experience that doesn’t seek to make us cry, but god fucking damn does it make me smile, a love letter to the players, and in an industry full of tragedy, heck, in a WORLD full of horrendous things, it’s good to laugh before facing hardship, to take a stroll, as long as it needs to be, so before we once again continue, let’s grab the flag together…

… the fireworks are gonna start.