Top 10 Odyssey Kingdoms

What has more vibrant and saturated colours than the psychedelic movement in the 60s? The Luncheon Kingdom. A mixture of neon blues, pinks, yellows, and greens, the Luncheon Kingdom probably has the most adventurous colour palette in Odyssey. Other than elevating my hunger, the Luncheon Kingdom really amps up the heat on not only the aesthetics, but also the gameplay. Mostly surrounded by pink molten lava from Mount Volbono – which lies in the centre of the Kingdom – every step and jump in this Kingdom could result in a burnt behind. Touching the vibrant pink stuff not only knocks off health but launches the singed plumber into the stratosphere. Where the Cap Kingdom feels the most linear of the levels, the Luncheon Kingdom arguably takes the trophy for having the most staged-set pieces. Whether it’s the starting greek/roman architecture designed enclosure, the path up Mount Volbono, or the large navigatable lava lake – Luncheon succeeds in creating these mini, independent areas, whilst simultaneously keeping the Kingdom cohesive.

You visit the Forgotten Isle of the Lost Kingdom after the Odyssey is rudely cannoned by Bowser, forcing Mario and Cappy to make a pit stop to repair the ship. Despite being another smaller Kingdom, the Forgotten Isle is teeming with callbacks to classic Mario platforming segments. Rotating platforms, wall-jumping to a summit, small podiums in a poison lake – all classic Mario platforming practices, licked and decorated with the Lost Kingdom paint. Oh, and what a paint it is – the joyfully Jurassic aesthetic is constructed of warming autumnal reds, browns, oranges and purples. Strong with the Land Before Time vibes, Lost Kingdom’s backdrop stretches far out into darkness, which utterly hammers home the feeling of isolation. Throw in the Wigglers (a great Capture) stretching out with accordion sound effects for stark contrast against the gloomy scenery, and you’re left with a solid, platforming-a-plenty Kingdom.

Probably the largest Kingdom in all of Odyssey is the Sand Kingdom. This vast, extensive desert is broken up by several Aztec ruins and the town of Tostarena. The inhabitants here joyfully shake maracas whilst donning their Mexican hats – their faces decorated to match Calavera (or Sugar Skulls), often used in Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration. The obviously South-American inspired Sand Kingdom is dense with sand dunes which can really help (or hinder) Mario as you roll through the sandy plains – that is until you get to ride the Jaxi, a jaguar/sphinx/taxi…thing. During my first playthrough of Odyssey, I wasn’t massively won over by the Sand Kingdom, the action was too irregular, separated by long walking segments across hot desert stretches. But on my second and third playthroughs, I found appreciation for the real-world nuances and how walking through a desert would be long stretches of nothing. Thankfully – in this videogame where it’s meant to be full of action – there’s never a stretch too long where you can’t see the next obstacle and challenge in the near-distance.

Something’s gone wrong – I’ve put two water levels into a single list and one of them has made it into the top three. Someone, fetch me a straightjacket (after I’ve finished this blog). That’s right, jumping into the top three with its sand crusted feet is the Seaside Kingdom. I mentioned in the Lake Kingdom above that Odyssey has really taken the sting out of water levels through clever level design. It’s true here, despite the level being about 70% water, at any point, you’re never too far away from shore. What I particularly love about Bubblaine is you’re able to explore as much of the vast sea from land, as you are within it. Yes, you’ll have to get wet and dive in to explore deeper trenches and secrets, but if you don’t want to find that initial spot from within the water, you don’t have to – scoping it out from the dryness of land before deciding to take the plunge! Despite this Kingdom having the WORST Moon in playing Volleyball for 100 rallies, there’s no level that’ll make you want to book a holiday faster. The ocean constantly reflects the warming sunset whilst chutes of water from four corners of the Sea feed into the towering, centre Bubble Glass. Capturing a Cheep Cheep and exploring the depths of the Sea is incredibly satisfying, finding passages through the bedrock and rubble. There’s great complexity in the level design here that’s executed so well, it makes the Sand Kingdom so simple to enjoy.

New Donk City – what a Kingdom. This level was, is, and always will be a joy to play each time I boot up Odyssey. The metropolis theme and perfectly executed environment has never been seen before in the Mario series (ignoring Mario is Missing!). The rambunctious streets are littered with salarymen and taxis as Mario navigates through crowds of realistically designed humans – dwarfing the plumber. The hustle and bustle is all too prevalent, even as you “free-run” Mario around New Donk City’s buildings, long-jumping between rooftops or wall-jumping between two skyscrapers, you still hear the noise of the streets reaching from below. Moving cranes, armies of birds, exposed manholes – the Metro Kingdom reflects all the staples of a real-life city and superbly translates them into Odyssey but miraculously, doesn’t create a feeling of estrangement. The first of its kind, yet still feeling familiar enough to wonder why it hadn’t been done sooner. New Donk City reaches its peak during the New Donk City Festival – this Moon has Mario move through the streets in his original 2D pixel avatar, whilst “Jump Up, Super Star!” booms over the top. The song is incredibly well-written, the lyrics rife with self-aware references and an overarching message of how far Mario has come. It’s during this Moon that I came to realise how stunning Super Mario Odyssey is – the developers clearly knew that they’d created something special here, and the New Donk City Festival was certainly a celebration of not just Odyssey, not just the Metro Kingdom, but all the accolades, history and joy Mario’s created in the world to date.