Although the popularity of platform games today is different from that of a time when all brands had their pets and colorful proposals, it is good to know that there are those who continue to bet the most on this genre, as in the case of Nintendo with Super Mario. Mario is not only an icon with which many identify video games, it is important because although we have seen all kinds of games that involve the cute little mustache character of Nintendo, when thinking about platform games, we have had the Be careful that the result is not mediocre and that it does not happen the same as other pets like SEGA Sonic that has gone through very bitter phases.
 
When Mario first explored three-dimensional worlds, a golden page was written for the history of video games and the franchise. Super Mario 64 showed us that traveling three-dimensional worlds was much more than jumping between platforms and fueling our sense of exploration and knowing that many actions in their scenarios could leave us a reward.
 
This year we saw how The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild returned to the origins of the series conceived as a garden in which you can lose yourself exploring your way; It seems to me that Super Mario Odyssey did the same to be the culmination of all the efforts with Mario in his three-dimensional games to return to the origins that are the source of the fun that has made him relevant for years. Just as the first time we ran against a turtle or delivered a baby penguin to get stars in Super Mario 64 , the teams led by Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Motokura give us the redefinition of that kind of fun where the emotion that draws a smile in Your face is anywhere in the game. Super Mario Odyssey is not only a monument to creativity within a genre, it is also a demonstration that a hybrid console that does not compete with the rest in matters of technological potency is capable of delivering a practically perfect result visually and in its presentation without neglecting the most important: the gameplay.

GRAPHICS - A+

As its name suggests, in Super Mario Odyssey the trip is one of the main concepts. Just as Super Mario Sunshine was the summer vacation adventure on an island paradise, Odyssey is a trip around the world; Mario leaves the comfort of the Mushroom Kingdom to go to lands never before seen where he will meet nice creatures and, incidentally, enjoy what we usually look for when we visit, like buying souvenirs.

Something interesting is that the scenarios take inspiration from real places to strengthen the feeling of traveling. You will find references to the city of New York in New Donk, to the Italian towns in the foothills of Vesuvius in the Kingdom of the Fogons, to Mexican towns in the Kingdom of Las Arenas and to the European Nordic places in the Kingdom of Ice, to put Some examples. The attention to detail is immense and is reinforced with an exquisite soundtrack that accentuates this relationship with real places; I'm not going to ruin the surprise by describing places, but I can say that very interesting surprises await you in experimental and even classic realms. All have an exquisite theme that is reflected even in the maps that are presented as tourist guides.
 
CONTROLS - A+
 
On a playable level, the title is as good as its exquisite presentation and character animation. As expexted, the controls are precise and allow using few buttons to execute movements that we know of Mario since many deliveries in their three-dimensional games: jumps, somersaults, shakes, triple jump, jump on walls and even tracks. The interactions seem very simple, but combined and combined they offer the right variety for any good platform game.

Cappy is a new character who, in addition to accompanying Mario on his trip, converted into any type of hat he uses, is in charge of granting fresh mechanics. You can cast it to defeat enemies or reach coins. If you leave it fixed, you can jump on it and if you use the movement controls with a Joy-Con in each hand it is possible to make several types of launch: frontal, upwards and surrounding yourself.
 
GAMEPLAY - A+
 
Super Mario Odyssey is a free approach game within the series, which means that rather than going from point "A" to "B" on one level you have an open space full of possibilities where you can pass tests in exchange for energilunas, such as it happened in Super Mario 64 with the stars. Something that I liked and that is revolutionary, even for the other Mario titles that have followed a similar format, is that the campaign is designed so that within freedom there is a common thread of a campaign that integrates exciting moments as part of that epic journey that never loses a pleasant rhythm; every time you reach the end of history in the worlds there is a transformation where the stage is prepared for many contents that give life to the game after overcoming the campaign.

Energilunas are the fuel used by the Odyssey (your ship) to travel; When you complete the minimum required by the campaign, you can continue making progress. I was pleased that there were occasions where the campaign gives you a choice between one world and another; Although in any case you will have to visit them all, I found that freedom of choice interesting. The question is, will you get more than 500 energilunas and discover all their secrets? Prepare for hours and hours without boredom because the game does not waste a single second.

The game has the option of an assisted mode and, if you do not know what to do anymore, there are characters that give you clues of the places where the next energiluna could be, even the figures in your Amiibo collection can find their location. There is an invaluable feeling when you get carried away by the game and the subtle clues about what you have to do next; I mean to discover without help how to obtain an energiluna.
 
STORY - A
 
In this story, Mario has had a huge amount of power-ups that have given him skills; In this sense, Super Mario Odyssey feels like the most complete game and with more possibilities because you can control your enemies by capturing them with Cappy. Although some rivals or things have very simple interactions, there are more than 50 transformations, which means that the gameplay is always changing; Many of the riddles will require the use of the proper transformation to be solved and the battles against bosses depend a lot on this mechanics, which makes them the backbone of the delivery. Use of vehicles, shots, flight ... there are many mechanics that derive from it, I invite you to discover them and be surprised. Some transformations are more used than others, but it is good that the constant is to refresh the gameplay. The design of levels works in synchrony with the mechanics that are derived from the use of Cappy, we can not fail to acclaim how well achieved each element of the scenarios is to encourage the inclusion of lots of things to do.

Another remarkable element that deserves special mention is the combination of two-dimensional and three-dimensional gameplay. Throughout your adventure you will find sections that have a gameplay and look that resembles Mario's classic on the NES; the interesting thing is that, more than a mere adornment for nostalgia, it has challenges that sometimes combine perfectly with 3D to offer a very strange mixture that works wonders. It is similar to what happened when The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds allowed you to make Link a painting that was transported on the walls, but with all the complexity of a Mario game. So you know what awaits you in these challenges, have you imagined the mechanics of gravity in Super Mario Galaxy?in a 2D Mario game? I will only say that you will be surprised by the design of the levels.

OVERALL - A+
 
With its variety of gameplay and energilunas hidden everywhere, believe me: I had a hard time writing the review without going into details of specific transformations or missions that made me vibrate with emotion to not ruin the surprise. Super Mario Odyssey is one of those games that are written detailed guides to unravel all its secrets, is one of the adventures that generate the most tasty conversation among friends who are playing. From the first minute you take the Joy-Con you realize that the most important thing is fun and that you can spend hours and hours playing and discovering the worlds.

It is a classic that will be remembered as the greats of the old school, it is a monument to the creativity of those who laid the foundations for one of the purest genres of the industry, it is the joy of travel and the discovery of the unknown, it is Indiana Jones chased by a rock while everything collapses, is the cry of emotion with sweaty hands before the purest platform challenges, is to get the best picture again and again to appreciate the detail of its exquisite presentation and beautiful worlds. This title is humming sticky melodies that inspire you, it is a perfect control that becomes an extension of your thoughts, it is to cry of nostalgia with its well-taken care references to the past of a legendary series, it is a sea of ​​mechanics that surprise you every time.

Once you throw Cappy at any object or enemy, the feeling that I had initially that led me to think that ruthless platform challenges were missing or that their bosses were weak and diluted when I felt overwhelmed by everything there is to do at the end of the campaign, which is when the best of the game begins.

have not played but this game is a future reason for me to ever get a switch. Glad they went back to their roots.