It’s still crazy to me that Nintendo knocked it out of the park with their two all star franchises back in 2017. They brought back the magic of the original Zelda titles in Breath of the Wild, and then revived the wacky, jungle-gym joy of Mario 64 with Super Mario Odyssey. I love this game. It’s obviously not an insane step forward like Breath of the Wild was, but it is exactly what it needs to be. Mario’s setting here is more varied and wacky than ever, which I think was a perfect direction to take. Every level is so imaginative and fun that even in the lamer ones you’ll still be entertained with new ideas and fun challenges. Going from a bustling real-life city to a red sand desert to a low-poly food world is simply fun, and with so many moons to discover you will not be bored any time soon. The capture mechanic is genius. I feel like the more that Nintendo says yes to the better. Mario in this game already controls great, probably the best he ever has, but somehow by scaling back the amount of moves by letting you control a baddie opens up even more possibilities for discovery. Like Mario 64, it’s a big playground, but now with even more toys to mess around with. It’s almost like every time you capture something, it starts a minigame on top of the regular game that you can still do whatever you want in. It’s hard to explain, but everything in Mario Odyssey just works. It’s all so natural, and it always feels like Nintendo gives you the right resources to complete the right challenges. The New Donk City Intermission that celebrates Mario’s history in a musical festival is probably one of my favorite gaming moments ever. It feels like the feeling of a Mario game just culminates into that moment so well. It’s clean, it’s a blast, it’s endlessly imaginative and wondrous, it’s Super Mario Odyssey, baby.