While the only thing stopping a lot of people from purchasing Nintendo Switch is stock, there are some still on the fence. Sure, both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and ARMS received Editor’s Choice awards, but even the Wii U started off strong. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, the E3 demo of Super Mario Odyssey looks to be as great.
The E3 demo offers players the choice of either New Donk City or the desert kingdom. For this I got to experience the desert kingdom, which lived up to the name. With something of a Mexican theme, the location was filled with secrets to uncover, plays to explore and treasure to find. Some of these were obvious, such as using moai Mario’s glasses to see hidden passages, where as I didn’t encounter anyone who figured out how to use the golden seed/acorn.
Everything about the location encourages exploration. Some hidden paths have secrets, where as others have interesting things. Be it a bus stop or a car. As players progress, several new mechanics are revealed.
One of these is the ability to control certain characters. One of them, as mentioned above, is a moai head, with the demo letting players control Bullet Bill. For instance, Bullet Bill can be used to collect a moon early in this level and trivializes a platforming section.
Super Mario Odyssey also borrows a mechanic from A Link Between Worlds. Instead of climbing up walls, Mario can use a warp pipe to attach to the wall. Upon doing this, Mario returns to his 8-bit form and traditional 2D platforming mechanics. It’s a nice homage to the past that fans will enjoy.
Be it solving puzzles, exploring the inverted pyramid that opened shortly before my time ran out or seeing what secrets await outside of the city, Super Mario Odyssey left me wanting more. And, with so many references, including Mayor Pauline, a reference to the original Donkey Kong, and seemingly things to do, Super Mario Odyssey makes a compelling case to purchase a Switch.
