On Oct 27, Super Mario will embark on a new adventure with the Switch, Nintendo's latest console. The new Super Mario Odyssey game will see him discover amazing places without the help of his kart or the Raving Rabbids. This launch comes in a good year for Nintendo which seems to have gained a new lease of life after the failure of the Wii U.
What would a Nintendo console be without a Super Mario game? Since its emergence in the mid-80s, the franchise has sold hundreds of millions of games, making it the best-selling series in video game history. The NES console had its Super Mario Bros, the Super Nintendo its Super Mario World, the Nintendo 64 its Super Mario 64, the Gamecube its Super Mario Sunshine, the Wii its Super Mario Galaxy and the Wii U its New Super Mario Bros. U.
It was therefore unthinkable that the Switch, which was launched in March, would not have its own Super Mario game. Super Mario Odyssey will be released on Oct 27 and is already looking like a hit as the holiday season approaches. The game will take full advantage of the Switch's features, including its controller, the Joy-Con, which enables two people to play at the same time.
One of the major new features of Super Mario Odyssey is Cappy, a new Mario ally. This mysterious character transforms into Mario's famous red cap and can help him jump higher, get to new locations, fight his enemies, wound them and even capture them.
The game also introduces new locations to explore. Mario will leave the Mushroom Kingdom and travel to places such as New Donk City, Bonneton, Fossil Falls, Lake Lamode, Shiveria and the Steam Gardens.
Nintendo is doing well thanks to its Switch console
Even with all these new developments, Mario fans are not likely to be lost as their mustachioed hero will still have to save Princess Peach from the infamous Bowser who is plotting to marry her.
The game has already been given 10/10 by Edge, a British specialist magazine which is known for its high standards, and 39/40 by Famitsu, a highly respected Japanese video game magazine. This suggests strong sales to come for Nintendo, with just two months to go until the holiday season when the most video games are sold.
If Super Mario Odyssey is a success, it will re-affirm Nintendo's strong position. Following a flat period with the failure of its previous Wii U console, the Japanese firm seems to be re-invigorated by the huge success of the NES Mini and the SNES Mini – which are now almost impossible to find – and the recent launch on the Switch of the critically acclaimed The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild.
Super Mario Odyssey should help Switch sales continue to rise across the globe. Particularly as Nintendo will also be selling the game as a bundle with the console in Mario colours. Since March, over two million copies of the Switch have been sold in North America, and almost as many in Japan. In Europe, 4.7 million units were sold in July. — AFP Relaxnews
Already a subscriber? Log in
Play, subscribe and stand a chance to win prizes worth over RM39,000! T&C applies.
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
