Super Mario Odyssey Turns Seven!

by
Mark Nielsen
, posted 8 hours ago / 1,443 Views

With the Switch getting on in years and the prospect of a new Nintendo console growing closer, now seems like an excellent time to take a look back at one of its mascot’s two big evolutionary lines, particularly since we now find ourselves in the longest wait ever between 3D Mario games. Today marks the seven year anniversary for the release of Super Mario Odyssey, and with no full new entry in sight, it comfortably beats the roughly six year wait between Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, which should also be good news to anybody who broke a mirror that day.

3D Mario has delighted fans since 1996, maintaining an astonishing level of quality and bringing innovations not just to the 3D platformer genre, but gaming as a whole. Needless to say, it’s a hard task to rank a series where every entry is beloved, but I shall nevertheless undertake this risky venture with my head held high. Wish me luck.

7. Super Mario Sunshine

You know you’re dealing with a good series when the black sheep of it is still a pretty fun title and that is indeed the case with Super Mario Sunshine. It might be one of the clearest examples of Nintendo’s unpredictable nature, following up the massively successful Mario 64 by giving Mario a water jetpack and making him the one-man clean-up crew of a muddy island paradise. But however strange it is, there’s something quite satisfying about the F.L.U.D.D.; even if it takes a bit away from the platforming controls and focus, it’s unique, but not necessarily good or bad on the whole. The game itself still has many fun elements to offer, with only a slight lack of polish (by 3D Mario standards) and some annoying secret levels being minor dark clouds on an otherwise enjoyable tropical platformer.

6. Super Mario 3D Land

Being a 3DS title, Super Mario 3D Land never shines too brightly in screenshots. Indeed, as the only purely handheld 3D entry and with a fairly vanilla setting, it doesn’t earn many points in terms of style on the whole. Fortunately, 3D Land makes up for this when it comes to level design, where it’s certainly no slouch. Together with Super Mario 3D World, it comes closest to being a 2D Mario title translated to 3D; whether or you’re a fan of that concept or not, the developers managed to execute it quite well, with a long list of fun, short levels and some nice bonus collectibles in the form of Star Medals.

Other than being the first time you could take 3D Mario with you in your pocket, 3D Land was also one of the few games that made excellent use of the 3D effect on the 3DS, and really made it add something to the experience. Overall it might find itself in the lower ranks of Mario platformers, but as a showcase for its system Super Mario 3D Land is among the best there is.

5. Super Mario 3D World

If you thought Super Mario 3D World was just 3D Land but bigger and better then, well, you wouldn’t be too far off the mark, but with the praise already given to the latter that’s certainly not a bad thing. While 3D World brings new ideas to the table and bigger areas, its main focus is quite simply on being a fun, colorful 3D experience… with cats! It’s also the first 3D Mario in HD, which it makes beautiful use of, and the first to have four player multiplayer and multiple characters to choose from, which certainly doesn’t hurt either.

One point of criticism that it shares with 3D Land, but which feels more prominent here, is that the White Tanooki Suit (basically encouraging you to cheat after losing a few lives) can feel rather demotivating regardless of whether you use it or not. That does however speak to the fact that the game offers a greater level of challenge (at least towards the end) than some other entries in the series. All in all, while it isn’t the biggest standout, it’s still a greatly enjoyable game, though it is a bit of a shame that Nintendo’s most struggling home console was the one to get the most by-the-book 3D Mario.

4. Super Mario 64

Let me be very clear: if we were ranking these games based on historical significance then there’s no doubt that Super Mario 64 would be king of the hill. The game started not only 3D Mario but in many ways 3D as we know it and yes it was also a damn good title that holds up even today. However apparent its age might be, the levels, structure, and gameplay that Super Mario 64 brought to the table shine as brightly as the stars you collect. It’s also impressive how much of Mario’s move set has remained the same since this first entry, but as for the controls, particularly those of the camera, they do admittedly leave a bit to be desired compared to later titles. Still, those who are used to this or are willing to get used to its quirks, Super Mario 64 remains an excellent time, with solid levels and a loveable feel to it.

3. Super Mario Galaxy 2

The Wii and DS era was a good time for the red plumber by many measures, and it was also doing this time that we got the only (explicitly) direct sequel in the 3D Mario series. Super Mario Galaxy 2 gave us more Galaxy and what’s not to love about that? The levels are once again expertly crafted, the gravity shenanigans are a blast, and this time Yoshi even makes an appearance (along with new power-ups for both Mario and his green-nosed friend). While perhaps just a little charm is lost with the smaller, less memorable hub world and the switch to a more traditional level selection system, Galaxy 2 still has charms aplenty and remains one of the most finely crafted 3D platformers of all-time.

2.5. Bowser’s Fury

I won’t deny the possibility of recency bias, as Bowser’s Fury was the game that I played most recently and actually inspired this list, but since it’s a bonus entry we don’t worry too much about that (do we?). This compact little not-quite-game not-quite-DLC is certainly some of the most enjoyable and charming 3D platforming experiences you can find. The beauty of it is that it takes the building blocks of 3D World and does the exact opposite with them, offering not a list of levels but a fully free experience with no boundaries. The cute cat-themed island paradise turns heavy metal when Fury Bowser makes an appearance, and while his increasingly frequent appearances can get a little frustrating if the timing clashes with whatever you’re doing at the time, it’s also a very unique element that forces you to think and act quickly.

Most importantly Bowser’s Fury is simply pleasant (surprisingly so given the title), and while it might actually be the easiest of all the 3D Mario games (despite the kaiju shooting lasers at you), that’s okay because it’s not really a game about challenge – it’s about fun, and it offers one of the densest little packets of that you can find.

2. Super Mario Odyssey

Mario’s latest full adventure was a roaring success, both among critics and fans, and it’s not hard to see why. While 3D World was a great game, it arguably made the mistake of playing things too safe; Super Mario Odyssey turned that upside down completely, not only giving us huge levels to explore as we pleased, and adding new innovative tricks to Mario’s classic move set, but also letting him possess enemies and damn near everything else you could imagine, gaining their unique powers and adding so much more spice to the classic platforming gameplay in the process. It’s damn near 3D Mario perfection, which makes it all the sadder that we didn’t get a (timely) sequel this time around.

1. Super Mario Galaxy

While Super Mario Odyssey might be near perfect, Super Mario Galaxy is truly special. In the same way that Super Mario 64 started the series, Galaxy was the game that matured it. It was the first truly modern-feeling and modern-looking 3D Mario, and so much more on top. The planetary gravity mechanic was mind-blowing at the time and so much more than a gimmick, allowing for some of the most unique levels, where the extra dimensionality of 3D games came more to life than ever before, and exploration wasn’t just done on a flat plane but from every angle. The game’s tone and presentation captured this new adventure into the stars beautifully, from little touches like lighting and special effects to the exceptional soundtrack. Even the storytelling, however minimalistic, was heartwarming.

You can’t blame anyone for preferring the levels in Super Mario Galaxy 2, nor the gameplay and openness of Super Mario Odyssey – that all comes down to taste – but looking at the games as whole I will always consider Super Mario Galaxy to be the game that managed to bring delight into its every element and which carved out the strongest identity and most memorable experience. That’s why it takes the top spot here.