Between this and Breath of the Wild, the Nintendo Switch was a disappointing console around launch, as far as first party exclusives go. I know I already upset a lot of people by saying that. But look, I love me some Mario, and Zelda is one of my favorite franchises in gaming. I might end up enjoying BOTW in time, but I haven't been able to play more than 2 hours yet before losing interest. But I'm getting off topic. We can save that for the BOTW review in a year or two, hopefully.
Anyway, Odyssey is a good game. In fact, I'd say it's a great game. There's definitely a lot of creativity oozing here, as I have come to expect from the 3D Mario titles. Beautiful locales, a charming soundtrack, fun boss fights, and the overabundance of cool secrets to discover makes for a very engaging game. But my main problem with Odyssey is just how lacking in purpose it feels with its collectibles.
A game like Galaxy, with its more mission focused structure when it comes to collectibles, makes it feel like you are constantly making progress and overcoming challenges. I don't really feel this way with Odyssey. You have these large, gorgeous, and vibrant kingdoms to explore, which undoubtedly feels good to do so, especially with Mario's varied move set and handling. But with so many moons to collect in the game (836 with post-game content), you will come across quite a lot with little effort. Ironically enough, eventually it will just start to feel like a chore. This is definitely a game that I don't feel compelled to 100% despite still having a lot of fun with. Galaxy on the other hand, I could definitely see myself completing fully.
Call me old-school, but I prefer my platformers to be more linear. Because of this, my favorite parts usually consisted of the special red and gold hat doors (and rockets) that transport you to separate smaller levels that usually only have 1 or 2 moons. And to be honest, most of the ones I came across were fairly simple, but they felt like a nice break from the large-scale scavenger hunt. Odyssey obviously has a formula that works and pleases a lot of people, but it's definitely not the ideal 3D Mario experience I was hoping for.
Anyway, Odyssey is a good game. In fact, I'd say it's a great game. There's definitely a lot of creativity oozing here, as I have come to expect from the 3D Mario titles. Beautiful locales, a charming soundtrack, fun boss fights, and the overabundance of cool secrets to discover makes for a very engaging game. But my main problem with Odyssey is just how lacking in purpose it feels with its collectibles.
A game like Galaxy, with its more mission focused structure when it comes to collectibles, makes it feel like you are constantly making progress and overcoming challenges. I don't really feel this way with Odyssey. You have these large, gorgeous, and vibrant kingdoms to explore, which undoubtedly feels good to do so, especially with Mario's varied move set and handling. But with so many moons to collect in the game (836 with post-game content), you will come across quite a lot with little effort. Ironically enough, eventually it will just start to feel like a chore. This is definitely a game that I don't feel compelled to 100% despite still having a lot of fun with. Galaxy on the other hand, I could definitely see myself completing fully.
Call me old-school, but I prefer my platformers to be more linear. Because of this, my favorite parts usually consisted of the special red and gold hat doors (and rockets) that transport you to separate smaller levels that usually only have 1 or 2 moons. And to be honest, most of the ones I came across were fairly simple, but they felt like a nice break from the large-scale scavenger hunt. Odyssey obviously has a formula that works and pleases a lot of people, but it's definitely not the ideal 3D Mario experience I was hoping for.