It’s been a great first year for the Nintendo Switch and Super Mario Odyssey was the cherry on top. After The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s incredible critical reception, there were doubts that Nintendo’s plumber could live up to his green-clad cousin. However, Odyssey is absolute gem. If you’ve completed it though, I imagine you’re searching for something to fill the void.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
If you own a Nintendo Switch, I imagine you’ve already ventured through Hyrule. However, on the slight chance that you haven’t, Breath of the Wild is the perfect follow-up to Odyssey. Just like Mario, Link has gone all open-world in his latest adventure. It’s an absolutely massive game that could feasibly swallow hundreds of hours. I wouldn’t suggest jumping straight in if you’ve got assignments looming as you’ll be instantly hooked exploring Hyrule. The story is great, the graphics are stunning and the gameplay is incredible. And with 900 collectable Korok Seeds scattered across the map, your practise hunting for Power Moons won’t have gone to waste.
Super Mario 64 (1996)
It’s been over 20 years since Mario first ventured into 3D in Super Mario 64, but this hugely influential release is still regarded as one of the greatest games of all time. Introducing the world to full-3D gameplay through the use of an influential camera system, it’s hard to deny the revolutionary impact of the 1996 game. If you’ve conquered Odyssey, but are wondering where it all started, this N64 classic is the place to look. Nintendo 64 consoles are a hassle to find these days, but the game was completely remade for the DS back in 2004 and re-released on both Wii and Wii U. I can’t think of a better recommendation really, Super Mario 64 is perfection.
Yooka-Laylee (2017)
While there’s no doubt today that Mario reigns supreme as the king of platforming games, British developer Rare provided the plumber with some stiff competition back in the N64 days. With 1998’s Banjo-Kazooie, Rare built upon everything that Nintendo had created with Super Mario 64 and debatably crafted a superior platformer. Although Microsoft now owns the rights to Banjo-Kazooie and refuses to do anything with the iconic duo, the independently developed Yooka-Laylee stands as a spiritual successor to the series crafted by a team of ex-Rare employees. It received a mixed critical reception when it launched earlier this year, but it might just fill the void that Mario Odyssey has left behind.
