Since the 80’s, a man by the name of Shigeru Miyamoto has stood as one of the founding fathers of the gaming scene. Sure, he didn’t design the NES or found a major company, but what he did do is create not one, but two major IPs that have been cornering the market of gaming since the days of 8-bit gaming, one of which arguably prevented the gaming industry from even crashing. You may already have a good idea which two I’m talking about, especially since one stands as a familiar face to the term video game. I’m referring to The Legend of Zelda, but most importantly, Super Mario Bros. That’s right, this humble game developer from Japan redefined the whole scene of electronic entertainment with sword-wielding, green-capped boy and an Italian plumber. Go figure. That being said, it’s none other than the mustached man himself for today’s review with the newest entry in the Mario series: Super Mario Odyssey.

From his days as Jumpman to the phenomenal Super Mario Galaxy, this series has never ceased to wow generation after generation, creating a franchise that people, video game fan or not, lose their minds over. One of the most famous examples of this is the exceptionally good Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64, back in the 90’s. That game not only set a new standard for 3D platformer games, but it, along with the likes of Ocarina of Time, moved units and moved them quite quickly. It also remains one of the two 3D Mario games everybody compares the others to (the other being the previously mentioned Super Mario Galaxy). So, with the newest entry finally out for the Switch as of November, it’s really no wonder why everybody suspects that the community may have been given a new Mario 64, figuratively speaking.

Starting with the gameplay, it’s the same snappy, smooth, fluent and responsive controls that have been improved upon and improved for years, now, and a Mario game in 2017 reflects that claim perfectly. Combining the open-world traits of Sunshine and 64, Odyssey follows a series of small open worlds linked by a small ship similar to how the planet in Galaxy 2 worked. Each world is different, specifically themed to a certain motif; these range from a prehistoric, dinosaur and chain-chomp filled planet to New Donk City, a bustling metropolis. What matters most about them is that they’re manageably small and yet feel huge, packed with secrets. Speaking of collecting things throughout the worlds, we’re not dealing with stars this time, well, except for one part, but that’s kind of spoiler-y. No, this time around, everyone’s favorite short, athletic plumber must collect power moons to power your ship. Many of these are well-hidden within the worlds and believe me, there’s a lot of them. Along with those are level-specific coins you can find tucked away in the landscapes that can be used at a shop to purchase new outfits for Mario or souvenir decorations for the ship.

Finally, we get to the story. The game wastes no time thrusting the player directly into a heated battle between Mario and his rival, Bowser. As per the usual, the King of the Koopas himself captured Princess Peach, Mario pursues him, but rather than dumping his reptilian behind into lava, he actually loses to him. His plan this time is to force the princess into marrying him. He throws Mario off his ship with the help of a gang of rabbits called the Broodals, and his trademark hat is actually shredded in the propellers of Bowser’s airship. AND THE AWARD FOR THE BIGGEST SURPRISE IN A MAIN-SERIES MARIO GAME GOES TO… THAT. Anyways, he ends up in a valley of ghosts that can take the form of hats called Bonneters, one of which decides to help him in hopes to rescue his little sister, a tiara (literally named Tiara), that Bowser stole to label Peach as his queen. Taking the form of his now destroyed hat, Cappy now can allow Mario to use his hat like a boomerang as well as possess enemies like dinosaurs, Goombas, Bullet Bills, etc. (which is actually as cool as it sounds) to help him find the rotten turtle and save his lady.

With all of that in mind, the question stands whether or not it’s better than 64. Personally, I enjoyed this game more, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it IS better. I suppose that’s for the hardcore fans of the series, such as myself, to debate. Of course, the game does feature nods to the famous game, and it’s got a really catchy theme that plays during the New Donk City Festival (Jump Up Superstar) which pays homage to the series’ illustrious history. I’d be lying if I said Nintendo didn’t make gaming history with this one.