Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy was considered by many Nintendo fans to be the Wii’s most impressive title, arguably surpassed only by its successor Super Mario Galaxy 2. Harkening back to the aforementioned classics Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine, Galaxy was much more of a reinvention than its predecessors were, including new space-themed mechanics that provided for a fresh gameplay experience unlike any other. The title’s power-ups in the way of bee and ice powers only aided the incredible experience further, giving Mario new means of traversal and forcing the player to think of how to best use these newly acquired skills to collect as many Stars as possible.
Super Mario Odyssey works to largely the same effect, though instead of empowering Mario through fancy power-ups, players are given the choice of possessing nearly every enemy in the game through the plumber’s handy hat friend Cappy. From gigantic T-Rexes to huge slabs of meat, Odyssey forces the player to think on his or her toes if they want to get that one Power Moon that’s been teasing them from afar. Obstacles can be cleared to circumvent challenges too, as in the case with the beach kingdom a cephalopod critter can be possessed that uses streams of water to blast itself into the air or wash away lava. It all makes for a game that’s grounded yet still imaginative, giving players freedom to express their own joy as they see fit.
