Super Mario Odyssey is a running and jumping game in the long-running Mario series where you save Princess Peach from Bowser. While it's a familiar setup, here you explore vast open worlds and use your hat to help you get around, fight, and even possess enemies to gain new abilities. It's a clear departure from what's come before, yet still retains the same lighthearted charm and focus on fun and fluid movement.
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When Peach is kidnapped by Bowser, who plans to marry her in a big wedding on the moon, you set out after them in an attempt to rescue the princess and save the day. As they visit kingdom after kingdom, stealing priceless artefacts for the ceremony, you chase after them, defeating their henchmen and gathering enough energy to reach the moon. By your side through it all is Cappy, your ghostly hat, who you use to reach new areas and defeat tough foes.
Play remains largely similar to previous Mario games: explore the level, jump on enemies, collect moon pieces to power up your ship, and beat the enemy at the end to inch closer to saving the princess. Super Mario Odyssey expands on these basics with intricately explorable themed worlds rich in secrets and new enemies. Cappy not only adds new ways to attack enemies but also to possess them and use their powers. You also use it to aid in your movement around the stages; you can jump on it in midair to extend your reach, and as you play you learn to use it to reach distant platforms and make seemingly impossible jumps. This moves success from quick reactions to the learned mechanical prowess with the physics of the world and Mario's abilities.
After the more linear Super Mario games like New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario 3D World, this game returns to the more open-ended, exploration-based gameplay featured in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, resulting in a unique and entertaining experience.
