*SPOILER WARNING*
Super Mario Odyssey has become my obsession, and I don’t even own a Nintendo Switch. Every part is captivating and amazing, along with the great graphics. But, there is just one moment, one aspect of this game that screams nostalgia: The references to Super Mario 64.
Once you’ve beaten the game, more moons are added. One of the additions is Toad standing at a locked gate in Mushroom Kingdom. Toad states something along the lines of, “I want to see polygonal Mario.” So, I make my way to the shop and buy his hat which warps his face and then his outfit. Mario comes out looking exactly as he looked in Super Mario 64. And with this outfit, you can feel the nostalgia of the Nintendo 64. Once you dress as this, you go into the door and are taken to a scene that looks similar to the original game, a Super Mario 64 area with chests you have to hit in order to receive a moon.
This callback is definitely something to congratulate, and the nostalgia makes you want to go find all 999 moons in the game.
Along with this moment, the fact that even the tune Peach’s Castle from Super Mario 64 plays when you’re about to warp into a painting is magical.
I think this one aspect of the game makes people look back on all Mario games and reminisce. This made me smile at this point in the game as well. And even now, while writing this article, I’m listening to Peach’s Castle from Super Mario 64. Well done Nintendo.
