E3 2017: Super Mario Odyssey Hands-on Impressions: What if This is Simulation?

Shacknews has hands-on impressions of Super Mario Odyssey from the show floor at E3 2017.

Asif Khan

June 14, 2017 9:00 AM

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E3 2017 attendees have the pleasure of getting their hands on the next great Mario 3D platformer for Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Odyssey. I sprinted from the Shacknews E3 booth as the show began and was able to experience a 10-minute demo of what can only be described as the most innovative Mario game I have ever played.

I was second in line at my demo station so I proceeded to watch someone play through the Desert level. This level was definitely showing some Super Mario 64 influences. Having watched the Desert level, I decided to try out New Donk City when I finally got my hands on the Joycons. I played the game with the wrist straps and Joycons separated. Players can throw their hat, Cappy, by waggling or by pressing a button. Cappy truly is the ultimate power-up. Players can take over control of all sorts of things from lightbulbs, to Goombas, and even a dinosaur. Players can even throw Cappy and use him as a temporary platform. Truly a fantastic hat. Quite possibly the cap of the show.

The demo begins with a nice view of New Donk City. I jumped into action and began talking to several NPCs around town. I was alerted that the mayor wanted to speak with me. At this point a waypoint appeared and I hightailed it to the mayor. Apparently Mayor Pauline (isn't that an interesting name) was putting on a concert and she needed four musicians to fill up her stage in New Donk City Hall. Being the affable plumber that he is, Mario sprang into action. 

I tracked down my first musician rather easily. He was a drummer playing around the corner from where I met Mayor Pauline. I was rewarded a moon, seemingly one of the game's collectibles, for finding the drummer and sent back out to find the rest of the band. I was able to track down a guitarist in the park on the other side of town, and was rewarded one more time with a moon. These definitely feel similar to the shine sprites in Super Mario Sunshine. There were also purple coins that players could collect. 

Knowing that my demo time was running out, I wanted to explore the city more before I had to leave this wonderful world. I saw a couple of buildings that were perfect for wall jumping and noticed a series of platforms on top of the buildings. After running and jumping across several breakaway platforms, I had navigated my way to a few purple coins and another moon. These tangential ad hoc missions are what has made The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild one of my favorite games in recent years and it is great to see a Mario spin on that gameplay element.

There was something else I noticed in the game that really made me wonder. A lot of gamers complained about how Breath of the Wild handles draw distance issues and Super Mario Odyssey handles the pop in and out of characters and objects a bit differently. I saw several NPCs spawn out of what seemed to be some kind of pixelated distortion field. Then it hit me: what if Super Mario Odyssey is a simulation? Everything about this game is so off the wall, from the levels to Cappy. Something is up, but I will need to get more time with this wonderful game to truly test my hypothesis. 

Asif Khan

CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Asif Khan is the CEO, EIC, and majority shareholder of Shacknews. He began his career in video game journalism as a freelancer in 2001 for Tendobox.com. Asif is a CPA and was formerly an investment adviser representative. After much success in his own personal investments, he retired from his day job in financial services and is currently focused on new private investments. His favorite PC game of all time is Duke Nukem 3D, and he is an unapologetic fan of most things Nintendo. Asif first frequented the Shack when it was sCary's Shugashack to find all things Quake. When he is not immersed in investments or gaming he is a purveyor of fine electronic music. Asif also has an irrational love of Cleveland sports.