Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Super Mario Odyssey feels great before it even asks you to understand its bigger ideas. Mario’s running, jumping, and diving have an easy rhythm, and Cappy quickly becomes more than a projectile. Throwing the hat, using a cap jump, then stretching a leap with a dive gives you room to improvise when a landing looks just out of reach. The result is a 3D platformer that makes movement itself entertaining, not merely the route between collectibles.

Captures are the big reason each stop stays fresh. You can take control of select enemies, animals, and objects, temporarily trading Mario’s usual moves for a new way through the area. A frog’s high jump and a Bullet Bill’s flight are simple examples, but the important part is the shift in perspective. You start looking at a suspicious ledge or blocked path and wondering what creature nearby might be the answer. Goomba stacks and the wall-bound pixel sections add the same welcome sense that the game is always ready to change the rules for a moment.

Power Moons are scattered through exploration challenges, puzzles, little interactions, and plain old curiosity. A sparkle in the ground, an odd creature, a seed pot, or a resident with a hint can lead somewhere worthwhile. That makes wandering feel productive even when you are not following the most direct route. It can also make individual rewards uneven. Some discoveries feel like a clever payoff, while others are so quick that they barely register. Odyssey gets away with it because there is usually another intriguing thing nearby.

The separate kingdoms are a smart structure. They are large enough to encourage detours but focused enough that you rarely lose the urge to explore. Power Moons fuel the Odyssey airship and open the trip onward, so progress feels tied to your own curiosity rather than a single rigid checklist. Regional coins give each destination its own shopping incentive, with costumes and souvenirs adding a pleasant extra reason to search. If you are playing with someone who wants to join in, local co-op lets one person control Mario and the other Cappy. Assist Mode is also a welcome option for smoothing out the tougher stretches.

Graphics

Odyssey’s kingdoms have a bright, tactile look that holds up beautifully. Cascade Kingdom’s thick green grass, layered rock cliffs, and pounding white waterfalls make its open ledges feel inviting, while the Sand Kingdom stretches warm orange dunes behind weathered stone ruins. A pale chamber surrounds Mario with white platforms, dark walls, and floating gold rings, a sharp contrast to the sunny outdoor landscapes.

Mario remains easy to pick out against all that scenery, whether he is in his familiar red and blue outfit or wearing a different costume. Bosses have a pleasingly oversized cartoon presence, as seen in Madame Broode towering over Mario in a grassy arena. The flat pixel Mario segments are a particularly charming visual switch, turning a wall into a tiny retro platforming space without losing the colorful 3D world around it.

Story

The story is a clean, familiar Mario chase: Bowser plans to marry Princess Peach, and Mario teams up with the sentient hat Cappy to stop him. It is not trying to turn the series into a dramatic character epic, and that is the right call. The setup gives the trip purpose without slowing down the platforming.

Cappy is the key addition because he makes the journey feel like a partnership rather than another solo rescue mission. The character’s role is directly tied to the capture mechanic, so the premise and the play reinforce each other instead of sitting in separate lanes.

The strongest storytelling comes from the travel itself. Each new destination feels like another leg of a globe-trotting pursuit, and the Odyssey airship gives the adventure a welcome throughline. You are here for the worlds and the playful situations they create, not for surprising plot turns, but the game understands that distinction.

Overall Experience

This is one of those rare big-budget platformers that stays generous without becoming mindless. Odyssey keeps handing you a reason to explore, then backs it up with movement that feels responsive and captures that routinely change the shape of a challenge. You can make steady progress by chasing the obvious path, but the best moments come when you wander off because a ledge, a sparkle, or an unusual character looks suspicious.

The game is not flawless. The enormous number of Power Moons means some are more memorable than others, and completion-minded players may eventually feel the repetition in checking every nook for another reward. Still, the lower-stakes finds help sustain the game’s buoyant pace, while the more inventive puzzles and platforming sequences provide the real highlights.

If you want a demanding platformer built around one fixed style of challenge, Odyssey’s constant variety may feel a little scattered. If you enjoy experimenting, taking detours, and turning a near-miss jump into a recovery story, it is superb. It understands that discovery is a form of momentum, then gives you a deep toy box of moves and transformations to make every detour worth taking.

Retro Replay Score

9.4/10