In a lot of ways, Super Mario Odyssey redefined the 3D Mario genre, a constant trend among these games.
Many have lauded the changes and thoroughly enjoyed the game, myself included as it ranks up there with my favorite 3D Mario games.
One change that I thought was unique was the amount of worlds available to explore. Unlike Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, Odyssey opted to do more with less.
The game returned to 15 kingdoms, significantly less than both Galaxy games but right on par with Super Mario 64. This amount is also more than Super Mario Sunshine’s seven worlds.
The return to fewer worlds didn’t deter the developers from placing 880 unique moons, this game’s version of stars, throughout those worlds. You can up the number to 999 if you purchase moons from in-game shops with coins.
Needless to say, Mario Odyssey thrives in its level design and uses clever obstacles for players to track down the astronomical amount of moons.
That said, which kingdom was your favorite?
Exploring the Kingdoms of Super Mario Odyssey
A popular answer to this question is the Metro Kingdom, home to New Donk City. This kingdom puts Mario in a New York City-like metroplex and has him interacting with the city and its natives, all of whom appear as standard humans juxtaposed to Mario’s cartoonish size.
This kingdom also had a fun segment at the end of your initial visit that saw Mayor Pauline singing as part of the city’s festival.
I did enjoy this level, but I don’t think it was my favorite.
I really enjoyed the Luncheon Kingdom. This one leaned heavily into the eating elements as Mario traversed a world littered with various food puns and enemies.
The uniqueness of this level is what stood out and made me love it. I can’t recall a level that was this unique. Sure, Mario has had some unique levels throughout his adventures, but this one takes the cake (yes, I did that on purpose).
The other kingdom I loved was the Cascade Kingdom. Mario Odyssey was one of my first games I played on the Switch and this early kingdom was absolutely gorgeous.
Not only did it feature waterfalls within the level but also in the backdrop. This breathtaking kingdom was just a joy to visit and I found myself admiring the view before continuing my moon collecting.
What Do You Think?
Super Mario Odyssey was truly a joy to play and the immense worlds were a welcome addition to the game. It built off the Galaxy games and perfected the level design of a segmented open world.
But what do you think? Which kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or by heading over to our Discord Channel.
If you’re a fan of 3D Mario games, check out our other discussions surrounding other titles including Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
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