Finished this last night. Thought the end-game was fan-fucking-tastic.
Was great to visit
The Moon - was just thinking prior that the game was tight and super fun, but I would have liked something odd or weird or beautiful (see: Majora's Mask end-game, see the atmosphere of Dire Dire Docks etc) to give it a twist. Then it happened!
The last sequence was spectacular (and I exclaimed from joy when
that Other new song kicked in - JRock?!) - in general I think the Boss Battles in this have been superb and thrilling.
I finished I think with 322, but now there's so much more to do and I'm so happy for more excuses to mess about in these worlds.
I'm not sure I quite agree with the reviews claiming this is Nintendo being cheekily, subtly innovative with the Mario formula - it's been 20-years since Mario 64 and the biggest twist is that they've just made the stars/moons more abundant for portable, bite-sized play. It gives makes the rhythm a constant series of mini-hits instead of the hard-earned undertakings of the older game, though I don't think it's worse for it.
And Cappy being 'genius' (see: Easy Allies review) is a bit much for a tried and tested gaming trope of transformation (as aforementioned, it reminds me of Space Station Silicon Valley amongst lots of lots of other games). But its execution and seamless fluidity, as well as the sheer rolly-polly-bouncy-squeezy joy of controlling these things is fantastic.
Comparing it directly to 64 just makes 64 seem even more of an incredible, forward-thinking achievement the first time round. Playing this made me reflect on all the things like ground-pound that were crucial to the clarity of this new frontier of 3D-platforming. I always thought playing 64 felt like the best Spiderman game never made for its momentum and grace, but this feels great too. Initially I missed Sunshine's more free-wheeling and loose platforming allowed by FLUDD but it ended up using a lot of that game's tricks in the end anyhow.
This game isn't a revolution but as a polished evolution of the 3D-Mario formula it's been a pure pleasure to play.
I guess the only thing I thought is that the music is great and effective but perhaps without some of the simple catchiness of older melodies that seared into your brain. See also: BotW. And there's nothing as surprising as the tranquil beauty of Dire Dire Docks' theme. But then again, nothing is as good as the Dire Dire Docks theme so that's a bit unfair.
I'm actually scared of playing more because with BotW (which I sunk about 140-odd hours into) I spend the first half thinking it was the best game ever, and then falling a little out of love with it and its excess. Partly circumstantial (as an earlier poster put it) probably, and partly because Skyward Sword I found so fantastic and I couldn't help but compare it later on when the charm of BotW waned.
But now I've been lazily lying on the couch, playing Odyssey with split controllers and gentle flicks of my wrist when needed and its (almost) like Skyward Sword's peerless gamefeel was never forgotten.
I think I'll get back to the Odyssey pretty soon.
(Tonight)