Topic: Super Mario Odyssey

Ya, software sales on 3DS has been plummeting, while software sales on Switch keeps skyrocketing. I think it got so bad that indie developers are all but abandoning 3DS development. I think Metroid was the true last hurrah... I think most people have settled it in their mind for that to be the last 3DS game they buy. Even I was hesitant about returning to the 3DS for that game.

There's still probably enough people for a Mario game to sell to though. It might not do nearly as good as in the past but...

It would be kind of awkward for them to make a handheld tier 3D Mario now. I mean what would that trailer even look like? "You've played Odyssey, now here's the #$*% one!"

I would like to see Nintendo experiment with the structure of a 2D Mario game. Maybe they could even play with switching between 2D and 3D like they did in the Paper Mairo series before Sticker Star. Have there be towns, or something.

Basically just make Paper Mario again. It's been so long since Nintendo have made a linear game with puzzles. But I'd be interested to see any kind of Nier, perspective shifting Mario game. Hopefully they either use 2D drawn art or the same engine as Odyssey this time instead of the awful NSMB 2.5D out-of-style style.

Wouldn't be surprised if they made a new 2D Mario game for the 3DS. Just to have one last hurrah for the old handheld.

@Haru17 Super Mario Odyssey has 2d sprite based sections...

@BLP_Software Yeah, I was thinking that Odyssey already was a game that involved "switching between 2D and 3D", and definitely one with Odyssey's game engine. Even the Galaxy games had their share of 2D platforming sections.

Admittedly, the 2D sections in Odyssey appear to be more like minor interludes than full-blown levels, so there's a lot of room for altering the balance in favour of 2D. But 2D sections in 3D Mario games are certainly not a new concept.

is this game gonna have stamp "achievements" like SM3DW?

They have stickers and souvenirs for the Hat Ship. Perhaps that will function similarly.

@Nicolai @MasterWario Hopefully the bundle moons/special events thing occurs. Otherwise the lack of distinction between moons would be a notable negative for the game. Can you imagine if, instead of shrine orbs, you got a Korok seed each time you completed a shrine? It wouldn't feel rewarding to complete a shrine when you could get the same reward in much less time and with less work.

The game has souvenirs, but they're purchased with the purple currency, in which there are 100 in each kingdom. I think that's all there is to it.

@shadow-wolf Well I can confirm the bundle moons 100%, but how they handle them is completely up in the air.

@BLP_Software Exactly! So how would a 2D Mario game carve out its own niche beyond NSMB, let alone another 3D Land game?

@Dev I'm pretty glad about that. I find snow worlds are usually the most boring in every Mario game. The harsh weather relating to Antarctica is probably what they were going for. While the game is style stylized, I notice that they're trying to add a feel of "truth" to the environments, relating to real life locations. Obviously the luncheon kingdom can't really be that way, but having surreal landscapes is always exciting too.

In that regard, the Sand Kingdom is probably the most disappointing because it's all compact and canyon-y, whereas when I think of a desert I imagine a vast wasteland of rolling dunes...but perhaps that wouldn't be fun enough. Who knows, there's still so much to see. Shiveria seems to fit the "wasteland" bill a bit, anyways.

There weren't that many indies on the 3DS anyway.
There are plenty more games still to come for the system though. Metroid will be far from my last game. I'm excited for Radiant Historia, Alliance Alive, Snack World, Superstar Saga, DQ11

They'd get people's attention if they just came up with a new art style for a start. I'd like a hand drawn one.
Then in terms of the gameplay, they should go back and look at Super Mario World, with its focus on cool secrets and hidden paths everywhere.

@Dezzy For focusing on Mario World should they also focus on lack of minigames, powerups that are few in number and either useless or hilariously broken, and lackluster level variety aesthetically?

@BLP_Software

1- no idea what minigames any 2D platformers have in them.
2- I'm fine with that. And I like that the cape is hard to use compared to other power ups.
3- it has the same 6 or so different visual styles as every 2D mario game has.

@Dezzy Mario World has the 100 points minigame where you hit blockings moving in a pattern and match lines when done for 1ups and in stages the weird hit the blocks in the right random sequence minigame.

Mario 3 had enemy encounters, matching games, a slot reel, toad houses, treasure ships...more variety.

Mario World also lacks a between stage inventory system.

And in terms of powerups in Mario World you have Fire Flower and Cape Feather.

The Fire Flower is same as ever but useless compared to how game breaking the Cape is. And when there is only two powers, having one be OP is bad design.

And in terms of visual styles? Lets see.

World has caves with water/lava, forest, water stage, castle stage, ghost house, night stage, mountain stage, generic stage, switch palace.

3 has airships, caves, grasslands, tiny huge, deserts, mountains, water, pipe maze, sky, ice, fortresses.

Now World looks better and controls better but it three away some features that past games had that were good that the New games brought back.

But heres the thing, a new look i agree with. But riffing on Mario World? Well NSMBU already kinda did that, and to be honest in terms of mechanics thats probably next to the original one of the weakest to pull mechanics from, most of which have already been used in conjunction with the stuff from Mario 3.

What I think would be better is as you say new art, but new themes. Stuff we havent seen before.

@BLP_Software

Good summary. I'd forgot about those minigames tbh. I remember them in Mario 3 a lot more than in World.
Don't particularly care about either though.
I just like World for the focus on challenging secrets and shortcuts to unlock.

There were a few other powerups though. Like the baloon thingy that makes mario float. And the various yoshi things. Sorry if I'm getting too technical.

@Dezzy The problem with focusing on challenging secrets is... the internet!

When secret things are a big part of the appeal of your game then your game can be very easily ruined by a play through on YouTube. I wouldn't do that myself - and you might not either - but a high percentage of players would and do.

I know that guides have always been a thing but they were; paper, not free and not instantly available.

@StuTwo

Pretty easy to ignore though. I don't think I looked up the solution to any puzzles in Breath of the Wild.

@Dezzy But a fair percentage of the audience will have looked up pretty much everything.

Building secrets and surprises into a game is (obviously) a great thing but I'd argue it can't be the main crutch in the modern day.

@StuTwo
Everything in Zelda? Most of the puzzles weren't especially hard.