Super Mario Odyssey has not only been selling so well- two million copies was sold in less than three days– it’s also critically acclaimed. One reason why it has been so good can be seen in this simple video.
YouTuber HelixSnake presented how Odyssey will make the player feel good with exploring the boundaries of a level by using skillful play. The area is not supposed to be reached, but rather than put an invisible wall preventing players from straying out of the critical path, you get rewarded instead.
It’s small things like this that we see rarely despite game worlds getting bigger and better.
A deeper dive on what makes Super Mario Odyssey great can be found here by Mark Brown. His latest Game Maker’s Toolkit video not only touches on rewarding players for being crafty, but also how all the elements of the game design gels so well together.
Super Mario Odyssey is out right now on the Nintendo Switch.