Super Mario Odyssey

Game images by RAWG

Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo EPD

Nintendo Switchpremium

Health Score

GOOD

Official Website Watch Gameplay

About This Game

Super Review

Super Mario Odyssey offers a vibrant, globe-trotting adventure where children control Mario and his sentient hat, Cappy, to possess enemies and objects. It encourages exploration and creative problem-solving in expansive worlds. While generally joyful, some platforming segments can be challenging. It's a premium, offline experience with a cooperative mode, making it a good fit for families seeking a engaging, non-pressured gaming experience.

Super Review

Parent verdict

Super Mario Odyssey earns its 'Good' rating by delivering a high-quality, imaginative platformer that generally respects a child's time and offers creative play without aggressive monetization. It's best for families who value exploration and mild challenge, with a flexible co-op option that allows for shared enjoyment. The main tradeoff is the potential for younger players to hit frustrating difficulty spikes in later levels, but overall, it's a solid choice for its intended audience.

What kids actually do

Players will jump, run, and throw Cappy, Mario's hat, to attack enemies, navigate platforms, and capture creatures to use their unique abilities, exercising timing and spatial reasoning.
Players explore diverse, open-ended kingdoms to discover hidden moons and collect coins, promoting curiosity and attention to detail as they search every corner.
Players will solve environmental puzzles by experimenting with Cappy's capture mechanic, transforming into different characters or objects to overcome obstacles, which fosters creative thinking and problem-solving.

Where it shines

The game truly shines in its inventive capture mechanic, which constantly introduces new ways to interact with environments and enemies, keeping gameplay fresh and engaging.
Its expansive, vibrant worlds are a joy to explore, filled with secrets and optional challenges that reward curiosity without strict time limits or pressure.

Parent watch-outs

While mostly easygoing, some platforming sequences and boss battles can be surprisingly difficult, potentially frustrating younger or less experienced players.
The game involves very mild cartoon violence where Mario stomps on Goombas or is hit by enemies, but it is always non-graphic and comedic.

Family rules worth setting

Consider limiting play sessions to 60-90 minutes, especially for younger children, to manage frustration during challenging sections and encourage breaks.
Establish a rule to play together, perhaps with one parent controlling Cappy in co-op mode, to help children through tough parts and share the experience.

Talk about this

Discuss how experimenting with different captures helps solve puzzles, encouraging your child to think creatively about challenges in and out of the game.
If your child gets frustrated by a difficult part, talk about persistence and how taking a break or trying a different approach can help overcome obstacles.

Play style

Super Mario Odyssey has a flexible session rhythm, allowing children to play for short bursts to collect a few moons or dive into longer exploration sessions. Difficulty is generally mild but escalates in certain platforming sections, where younger kids might need assistance. It supports solo play, but also offers a cooperative mode where one player controls Mario and the other controls Cappy, making it a good option for shared family play.

Score Breakdown

Positive Aspects

Educational Value

1/5

Creativity

3/5

Pro-Social

1/5

Risk Factors

Addictive Monetization

0/5

Time Pressure / FOMO

0/5

Social Risk

0/5

Content Intensity

1/5

Why this rating

Educational Value

1/5

Super Mario Odyssey is primarily an entertainment title focused on platforming and exploration rather than academic learning. While it subtly encourages problem-solving and spatial reasoning, these benefits are inherent to its genre rather than explicit educational content, leading to a score of 1.

Addictive Monetization

0/5

As a premium, offline game, Super Mario Odyssey features no in-game purchases, loot boxes, or recurring subscriptions. Children can enjoy the full experience without encountering any monetization attempts, which is reflected in its perfect score of 0 for this risk dimension.

Creativity

3/5

The game strongly promotes creativity through its core capture mechanic, allowing players to possess various enemies and objects to solve puzzles in imaginative ways. Children must think outside the box to utilize different abilities, which significantly enhances creative problem-solving and exploration, justifying its score of 3.