The Sadly Missed Opportunities of Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is a great game; on that, most people will agree. Heck, you know it has to be true — Metacritic says so.

However, I personally feel it has some shortcomings, some unrealized potential that Nintendo never tapped.

Recently, Arlo talked about what he would like to see in a Super Mario Odyssey sequel, and it brought back to mind my thoughts on those opportunities that, quite frankly, I feel like Nintendo wasted with the game.

More Kingdoms Should Come

Super Mario Odyssey presents a somewhat-unique scenario, as it features Mario going on a world tour. Sure, we’ve been to places in the Mushroom World outside the Mushroom Kingdom before, but it’s usually (with the exception of Super Mario Bros. 3) just one place at a time.

Nintendo’s Entertainment Planning and Development division gave us a tease of what was possible with their reimagining of the grounds of Peach’s castle at the end of the game, but there was so much more that could have been done. And while downloadable content isn’t necessarily the ideal solution, it’s better than nothing at all (and besides, the game features DLC already, so you might as well go all in).

Just imagine the fan service we could have gotten by revisiting some familiar locales in an all new, high definition, open world form…

Dinosaur Land

The OG vacation spot for harried heroes, Dinosaur Land is a familiar sight for many a Mario fan, as it was the setting of Super Mario World. Revisiting a reimagined version of this landmark landscape would be a treat few fans could ever hope to resist.

Of course, one wouldn’t expect the entirety of Super Mario World to be recreated in 3D space, but nor do I think it’s really necessary. Just look at this map, and imagine that in 3D, with lots of little secrets tucked here and there and everywhere. Mario lore is a bit inconsistent anyway, so I don’t think too many people would get upset about the discrepancy of not having 96 exits and their respective courses placed meticulously across this landscape.

If that is too much, though, perhaps the idea could be scaled back somewhat. After all, that’s what Nintendo themselves did by centering multiple games around just one small part of Dinosaur Land, Yoshi’s Island. Whether the version seen in Super Mario World or its self-titled sequel, I think there’s plenty that could have been packed around the homeland of the Yoshis. And in the case of the version from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island the different art style would have played well with the variety of aesthetics found across Super Mario Odyssey.

Isle Delfino

Like Super Mario 64 in the game itself and Super Mario World above, a full recreation of Isle Delfino isn’t really expected here. Nevertheless, I think you could still fit in some key landmarks, including Delfino Plaza. How nice would it be for Mario and Peach to be able to visit Isle Delfino and not have to worry about jail time?

Granted, a lot of it might need to be reworked to keep from feeling like you’re just playing Super Mario Sunshine again, but they did do that for Peach’s castle, showing us how it can be done and how far they’re willing to go. Plus, the mechanics of Super Mario Odyssey, such as Cappy, should lend itself to a very different feeling from running around with F.L.U.D.D.

While Isle Delfino is plenty exotic on its own, now let’s look at something really exotic…

Donkey Kong Island

Ever since Donkey Kong struck out into his own game series all the way back in Donkey Kong Country, he’s made several appearances in numerous Mario games, and even occasionally brought some of his cast of crazy characters with him. Heck, Super Mario Odyssey‘s own New Donk City (formerly Big Ape City and Big City) is chock-full of references to a number of them, from Diddy and Dixie to Cranky and K. Rool!

However, with the exception of the odd cameo, Mario hasn’t really returned the favor. What better time than now, and what better way than taking the Odyssey for Mario finally visit the Kongs’ home?

Like Peach’s castle and Isle Delfino, this is a location that’s been explored in 3D before, via Donkey Kong 64. Of course, that game’s collectathon completion requirements made it divisive, if nothing else, so this would be a great opportunity to spruce things up a bit. Plus, much like Yoshi’s Island, there are multiple versions to choose from between Rare’s original Kong-shaped mountain (as seen in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, above) and Retro’s more recent, differently-stylized take. Suffice to say, there’s flexibility there.

What would make it even cooler, though, is if Mario could use Cappy to Capture a Kong. This would effectively let us play as Donkey, Diddy (once you knock his normal hat off, that is), etc., giving us more of a feel of what a modern 3D Donkey Kong game could be like. Who could say “no” to that?

Plus, if they went with the Rare version of DK Island and wanted to give a unique art style, what better than the ’90s era computer generated imagery that comprised the original Donkey Kong Country‘s art style? It could look like all the production art we’ve seen on boxes and in magazines come to life!

Mario Land

More theme park than country, Mario Land from Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins would be a fun place to run around in. And hey, with Super Nintendo World opening up, maybe there would even have been some room for some brand synergy, yeah?

Of course, much like Super Mario World, we’re not looking at a full recreation of the entire game here, but taking the iconic world map, blowing it up into a huge 3D form, and planting lots of stuff to do and find all around. From riding a bubble into space from atop a mountain to investigating a sunken submarine 20,000 leagues (give or take) under the sea, exploring the a haunted mansion and a small world, and of course, climbing a giant mechanical Mario statue, there would surely be no shortage of stuff for Mario, Cappy, and you to do — no E ticket required!

Sarasaland

Princess Daisy’s kingdom has become little more than a memory since debuting in Super Mario Land all the way back in 1989, only being mentioned in her bios in other games — if even there.

Sarasaland actually encompasses four distinct kingdoms of its own: Birabuto, Muda, Easton, and Chai, which wear the influences of several real world locales in Egypt, Mu and Bermuda, Easter Island, and ancient China, respectively. What’s more, these four kingdoms are each home to a wide variety of unique creatures inspired by their real world counterparts, as well as a few offbeat cousins to more familiar faces.

Heck, with the number of possibilities presented here, this could have been an entire DLC pack on its own with just the four Sarasaland kingdoms.

Of course, it might not have even needed to be DLC, as some concept art from Super Mario Odyssey itself shows Moai statues and mountains in its lower-right (behind the tyrannosaur’s leg):

Sadly, whatever ego or other elements are at play to keep the Mario series divided among itself means that, at least for now, Sarasaland continues to languish in obscurity.

Incidentally, in a “better late than never” scenario, wouldn’t this stuff have been a rocking way to celebrate Mario’s 35th anniversary (and for Nintendo to make bank in the process)?

Finally, here’s something that should have been in the game before DLC ever entered the conversation.

Playable Princess Peach (with Tiara)

Put simply, Princess Peach gets screwed royally (no pun intended) when it comes to being a playable character, at least where mainline Mario titles are concerned.

She made her debut as such aaaaaaaaall the way back in Super Mario Bros. 2, and along with Toad, would form a formidable quartet spanning the cartoons and comics of the day. But in the games, that was largely it. From Super Mario Bros. 3 onward, they put her back in her box, only to be a background character or someone who needs to be rescued for the next… *looks at his watch* …24 years.

But in 2013’s Super Mario 3D World, Peach finally had a new chance to break out once again and show the world what she’s got! The only problem?

It was for the Wii U. ‘Nuff said.

After that flopped, back in her box she seemingly went. For what it’s worth, Super Mario 3D World did finally see a re-release on the much more successful Nintendo Switch, but that was earlier this year, around four years after Super Mario Odyssey.

The thing is, though, there was little reason for her to go back into that box. When you finish Super Mario Odyssey and rescue Peach (spoi– oh, who are we kidding?), two things happen:

1) Along with Cappy’s sister and fellow captive, Tiara, Peach decides to go on a world tour of her own, even donning several outfits of her own reflective of the kingdom she’s visiting at the time.

2) Mario and Cappy go on another world tour to find more secrets and things that they weren’t able to do the first time around.

But what doesn’t happen?

You don’t get to play as Peach (with Tiara).

Instead, you run into her at a designated spot in each kingdom, and she gives you a Moon. Yay. So exciting.

It’s not terrible, I suppose, but it does beg the question: Why can’t we play as Peach after rescuing her? Hell, even the dad-blasted mobile game offers you that much, so why not here?

She has a unique but similar playstyle to Mario, she’s got her own Cappy equivalent, she’s touring the same worlds, and she’s even playing the same game of dress-up. For all intents and purposes, she’s Mario with greater hang time, but a deeper sense of purpose and meaning for fans who would rather she wasn’t kept locked away.

While I’m sure there’s a reason for it, I’m less convinced it’s a particularly good or compelling one. Peach should have been playable when you beat Super Mario Odyssey. Period.

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Now, looking back to Arlo’s dreams of a sequel, that would admittedly be a terrific way to incorporate some (if not all) of these sorts of ideas — to effectively have not missed these opportunities. But that said (and Peach aside), once Nintendo moves on to their next idea for the Mario series, I feel like the door will be shut on them (barring some sort of Super Mario 64 DS-styled update some years in the future), as the world tour theme of Super Mario Odyssey makes it rather uniquely suited to the task. Sure, they could plunk one of these in some other game, but… would it be the same?

Thanks for reading!

All images courtesy of Super Mario Wiki (via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

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David Oxford is a freelance writer of many varied interests. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.