I have beaten this game at minimum 4 times. 2 on PC and 2 on PS4 pro, though I believe it may be 3 on PC. This game offers the best written characters and story that gaming has to offer. The characters are lively and have daily routines and unique interactions unlike anything I’ve seen before. The exploration in the world is only rivaled by the Zelda franchise as exploring and finding side content in this game is a must. Every time I played through I discovered new side missions, new interactions, new upgrades and new ways to do missions despite having played so many times before. This is a MUST for anyone that like open world story games or just story games in general. You will not find a better written story and protagonist than this game as of my review.

When the game first launched it was a buggy and broken mess that offered a frustrating experience to play. Missions that couldn’t be completed, quests not properly loading, performance issues across the board. The game was a mess and it was hard to see the incredible game that lied below it. With the 2.0 patch it is a new experience with revamped skill trees and added content. Still, there isn’t much replay value for me personally as the choice between the 3 starting scenarios don’t end up mattering much, and while the rpg elements can offer some new ways to play, the gameplay loop doesn’t change by much. Still worth a play for anyone yet to play.

When I first played Super Mario Odyssey it reminded me of my time as a child playing my favorite Mario game, “Super Mario Sunshine.” Since sunshine innovation in Mario games had practically halted as they continued to make 2D (and one 3D) platform games that followed the original Mario structure, start at one end of a level and make it to the end in a linear fashion. With the exception of the galaxy games mario had given nothing new to offer, until Odyssey. It combined the open level structure of Super Mario 64 with the wacky movement of Sunshine that felt like a breath of new life into the franchise. My only withholding for this game is some of the sprites are too simple, but with the target audience being younger i dont find it to be a large issue at all.