Super Mario Odyssey: Undersea Evolution

Under the Sea

It’s almost time to dive into the next blockbuster 3D Mario adventure. I haven’t been this excited for a Mario game since Galaxy, and all signs point to Super Mario Odyssey being a hit. The platforming looks tight, the scope is huge, and it won several E3 game of the show awards. My favorite elements of the game are the diverse locales Mario visits. As of now, my favorites are the Luncheon Kingdom, and the Wooded Kingdom. These both are filled with such personality and have a strong visual identity that I can’t wait to explore them. Those Kingdoms are only two of the six already detailed, and just this week a seventh was confirmed. All we have seen of this world is an illustration that reveals an aquatic theme. While water worlds are fairly trite in Mario, this Kingdom has the potential to be my favorite in the game.

The water levels in Galaxy were great; Beach Bowl
Galaxy in particular

Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite entry in the series. The level design is absolutely fantastic; and graphically, Galaxy looks amazing for being sub-HD. This graphical fidelity helped sell Galaxy's diverse settings. Of all the locales, Beach Bowl Galaxy is by far my favorite. Exploring undersea was captivating; the water was beautiful, and the swimming controls were great. However, Super Mario Galaxy was still a Wii title. The Wii was a revolutionary console, but it certainly wasn’t very powerful. Thus, the underwater areas were limited in scope; even some of the larger water galaxies weren’t that big. Super Mario Odyssey is a Switch title, thus the developers have much more power this time around.

Imagine exploring a coral reef ten times the size

With the power of the Switch, this underwater Kingdom could be incredibly expansive. It could take cues from all of the past 3D Mario titles- combining the sunken ship from 64, a coastal ‘Delfino-esque’ island town, and even the manta racing from Galaxy. Aside from throwbacks, exploring a huge coral reef would also be fantastic; full of bright colored cheep cheeps and other aquatic enemies. Those elements all could fit together seamlessly and offer many different challenges to complete for power moons, the star/shine equivalent in this game. The Switch’s horsepower could also go a long way to making the water look even more realistic than Galaxy, and I’d love that. There is no better way to sell people on the horsepower of a console than with water physics.

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The NSB world map is very generic

For the first time since Galaxy, we’re getting a Mario game that truly feels new. The New Super Mario Bros. games are fun in Co-Op, but they started to feel uninspired by, well, the third entry. I really love both 3D Land and World, but I didn’t feel a spark of excitement for those titles. The sheer variety in locales Mario visits in Odyssey is a breath of fresh air in itself. No more, grass, sand, water, ice, forest, rock, sky, and lava worlds- in that order. Yes, it is a bit contradictory for my most anticipated kingdom to be a water world, a theme done to death by the New Super series, but Odyssey looks to be able to elevate the basic themes to new heights.

The Luncheon Kingdom looks so unique and fun to explore

Many of the kingdoms are undeniably unique. The Luncheon Kingdom and New Donk City spring to my mind right away. These worlds offer new graphical styles, new NPCs and enemies, and new challenges to overcome. However, both the Sand and Wooded Kingdoms seemingly retread old ground. Yet, both kingdoms twist their themes and make something new. The Wooded Kingdom adds a post-urban, mechanical vibe that hasn’t been seen in a Mario game prior. I can picture in my head a traditional 'poison swamp' forest level, but I have no idea what to expect from the Wooded Kingdom. That mystery is part of the excitement; there will finally be surprises in Mario again. Similarly, the Sand Kingdom plays with its theme by incorporating ice elements alongside an Egyptian flair. Thus, I have no doubt that Nintendo EPD will be able to incorporate elements to give the underwater kingdom its own identity too.

I love Nintendo's drive to evolve their old franchises

It’s hard to believe that we’re less than three months away from the launch of Odyssey. I’m quite excited for the game, but I’m also excited for what this title symbolizes. For me, Odyssey is confirmation that Nintendo wants to evolve their classic franchises. We saw this same design mentality with Breath of the Wild earlier this year, but that was just one franchise. Now that Mario is evolving too, the Switch is shaping up to be a console full of exciting new ideas. I’m excited to see where this new creative vision takes other franchises: take a second to picture your favorite Nintendo series evolved. I couldn’t have anticipated Nintendo taking these kinds of creative risks the past few years but now, everything’s on the table.