What a change of gameplay that Super Mario Odyssey introduced. For years and years and years, we Mario fans were used to platforming with different types of power-ups at our disposal. Yet, Odyssey decided to ditch the old formula in favor of capturable enemies. Nobody could’ve known just how amazing that decision would’ve ended up being.
Even though the game is far from new, I decided I wanted to list my personal five favorite captures. After all, it’s not as if there’s anything to talk about regarding the potential sequel. So, we might as well keep on talking about the greatness of the first game, right?
5. Sherm
Out of all the enemies in the game, Sherm is arguably the most unique and unexpected (and that’s saying quite a bit). Sherm is the small tank enemy that resides in a few different kingdoms. It can shoot an infinite number of explosives and is rather fun to use. However, admittedly, the controls take a minute to get accustomed to. Once you get them down, you’ll be capturing Sherm just to mess around with its shooting prowess.
4. Bullet Bill
A classic and staple enemy throughout the years, finally being able to control a Bullet Bill was something special when I first played through this masterpiece. While you need to be quick on your feet after you capture one, the dynamics it adds to the gameplay can’t be understated. Capturing a Bullet Bill opened up so many different and unique platforming sections. For the Sand Kingdom alone, it made it so much more fun to traverse and explore.
3. Yoshi
Wow, do you want to talk about an unexpected surprise? What made capturing Yoshi even better is the fact that you had to go to the top of Peach’s Castle. Nintendo is so good when it comes to paying homage to their old games. As far as using Yoshi, this is the most fluid the green dinosaur has ever handled in a 3D environment. It’s such an enjoyable experience to capture him that you feel severely disappointed when you have to ditch him. Poor Yoshi, he’s always getting abandoned.
2. Cheep Cheep
Some of you may actually be surprised that I have this so high on my list. Let’s face it, though, water levels have always been something of a problem during the history of the franchise. The level design of most water levels throughout the years have been wonderful, but the mechanics have been frustrating at times. When capturing a Cheep Cheep, all these issues are resolved. Besides not needing to worry about health, you can move around seamlessly underwater with one of these bad boys. It makes all the difference in the world.
1. Bowser
Even though this is one of the shortest captures in the game, it easily remains my favorite. That moment when you realized that you needed to capture Bowser to save the world is one that I will never, ever forget. It was one of the most epic moments in video game history, forget just Mario. If there ever is going to be a sequel, let’s hope that we’ll be able to play as Bowser a little bit longer. Who doesn’t want that?