Super Mario Odyssey

Genre: 3D Platformer

Players: 1, Online Content Sharing

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

Super Mario Odyssey is a long-awaited return for Mario’s plumber, not only to a true 3D game, which we haven’t seen since the Wii, but also to an exploration-based style of play that we haven’t really seen since Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine.

Much of the fun is exploring the bizarre worlds Mario visits searching for secrets, and this game is absolutely loaded with them. Each level has countless moons (compare to Mario 64’s stars) to find, and every nook and cranny of each level seems to be loaded with them, with a ton of variety in how you go about getting them.

What’s more, Mario’s movement in this game somehow became even more fun with the addition of Cappy, Mario’s new hat that allows for some new acrobatic options to help Mario traverse the world, as well as giving him the ability to hijack and possess some of the enemies he comes across, some of which are so fun and fantastic that I’m tempted to spoil them for you.

This game doesn’t push any new boundaries, but still manages to be absolutely beautiful with really imaginative scenery and really memorable new tunes. There’s just so much joy bursting out of every seam of this game it’s hard not to feel a bit of glee just thinking about it.

In short, if you like Mario-style 3D platformers, you will love this game. It is loaded to the brim with things to do, things to see, and more creativity than you can shake a cap at.

tl;dr – Super Mario Odyssey is Mario’s long-awaited return to 3D platforming, and it’s just about everything fans of the series could want. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it has damn near perfected it, filling the game with new surprises around every corner. It is an absolute must-have game on the Nintendo Switch

Grade: A++

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

Super Mario Odyssey

Genre: 3D Platformer

Players: 1, Online Content Sharing, GameShare (Local Wireless / Online)

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Review:

One of the initial batch of games to receive free updates on Nintendo Switch 2 when it launched in 2025, Super Mario Odyssey is a game that doesn’t feel like it needs any sort of update. It looks great, it plays great… how do you improve on perfection?

Well, if you’re Nintendo, you improve the resolution and add HDR support. And this game looks great on Nintendo Switch 2! Though… well, it looked great before too. This update does add one other thing – GameShare support for the game’s “2-player” mode. A mode that’s so pointless I don’t even include it when listing the number of players the game supports. Yes, now using GameShare, you can get another player to… control Cappy, one of the moves in Mario’s move set. Thank… you?

In short, I’m not convinced that this update is especially noteworthy. But I suppose even an improvement that’s imperceptible to me is still an improvement, and I can’t complain about free. So Super Mario Odyssey was an absolute must-play before, and it still is. I’m definitely not complaining about that.

tl;dr – Super Mario Odyssey is Mario’s long-awaited return to 3D platforming, and it’s just about everything fans of the series could want. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it has damn near perfected it, filling the game with new surprises around every corner. It is an absolute must-have game on the Nintendo Switch

Grade: A++

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