Again, it’s pretty good.īowser’s Fury though, is great. That is before you discover any number of its wonderful stages and set-pieces. Super Mario 3D World is pretty good too, but as a re-release of a known entity - one that arrived before Odyssey hit the scene - it feels almost like a misstep. It does so through its world, the layout, the sense of exploration.īowser’s Fury is a Mario adventure as memorable as anything we’ve seen to date, and a testament to the relevance and timeless nature of a “proper” 3D Mario game. The island setting works great to keep the map from becoming overwhelming, the constant threat of Fury Bowser adds pressure and incentive to keep going, the plight of all the kitty cats is, well, you gotta save the cats.Įven though Bowser's Fury isn’t all that long it is as rewarding as Super Mario Odyssey, it challenges you to collect each and every Cat Shine or to seek out and discover any number of its many secrets. Chaotic in a way Mario rarely is, as two-to-four players move about in an animated flow-chart of branching ‘ways to Super Mario’.
Stages or levels that are short and sweet, with an overall flow that is as linear as the story is non-existent. Co-op gameplay with a competitive edge, time-trial inspired level design in the sense that racing can be a key component.
And he does so by teaming up with Bowser Jr., who’s realised that this time his dad’s fully out of control.Ĭompared to Super Mario 3D World there might be a little confusion, as that game presents a vastly different experience. Here Cat Mario needs to collect Cat Shines in the cat world in order to awaken the Giga Bell that can transform him into Giga Cat Mario in order to take on the giant Fury Bowser in a battle akin to Godzilla v Meowthra. In 2021 it's fair to think of Bowser’s Fury as a quasi-sequel of sorts to 2017’s brilliantSuper Mario Odyssey. It’s also as strange as Mario’s team-up with a sentient hat that for some reason lets him Being John Malkovich a dinosaur.
It presents a single, large open-world to explore, and a premise that is equally charming, fun, and cute. Now, in 2021 it's fair to think of Bowser’s Fury as a quasi-sequel of sorts to 2017’s brilliant Super Mario Odyssey. An additional mode, an expansion a second game in the form of Bowser’s Fury. That is, until you realise ol’ Ninty has added a little something extra to the release - and the game’s title. And that’s present tense because this is essentially a review of that game in Nintendo Switch form.