Super Mario Odyssey already has a legacy for future titles to live up to. Pauline returned and became a regular Mario character in spin-offs, Cappy became one of the series’ most beloved companions, and the game’s soundtrack is up there with other 3D games like Super Mario 64 and the aforementioned Galaxy. With The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 on the way, a sequel to Mario Odyssey is not an absurd possibility. If it were to happen, Nintendo should take a cue from other modern projects including Breath of the Wild 2 by making Mario Odyssey 2 darker than its average fare.
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Mario Odyssey and Edgier Nintendo Games
The Switch represents a turning point for Nintendo. Nowadays, third-party games, including M-rated titles, are expected to come out on Nintendo consoles. While Nintendo has hosted such content for over two decades thanks to games like Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Eternal Darkness, and No More Heroes, Nintendo’s own works are more lighthearted than most. This is fine as a part of the company’s identity, but a lot of Nintendo’s fanbase consists of adults who would enjoy a darker spin on an otherwise family friendly concept. The people working at Nintendo seems to have understood that with The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.
However, there are no mainline Mario games with dark content to compare. This can be seen as a positive. Due to the lack of blueprints, a hypothetical project like Super Mario Odyssey 2 could show the world what a darker Mario is like. The Mushroom Kingdom is a colorful and friendly society on the outside, even in games like Paper Mario, but its eccentricities provide developers with a lot of material to potentially twist.
There are some difficulties when tackling an idea like this. A darker version of the Mario universe is not that original, as spin-offs - especially the Mario RPGs - explore familiar Mario characters and species in a darker world. Some, like Super Paper Mario, were infamous for their more disturbing moments. Nintendo should not aim to replicate the success of its flagship series’ spin-offs, as they were a product of their times and mediums.
A darker Mario Odyssey should instead take advantage of its locales. Being a Mario game, new worlds to explore will be inevitable. The game should reveal a different side to the main series staples. Power-ups like the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and even the companion Cappy; enemies like Boos and Lakitus; and even the typical grassy, desert-like, or aquatic levels could be given more somber characterizations.
If it even exists, Super Mario Odyssey 2 may come out in a few years. This gives Nintendo more time to be experimental with heavier themes and content in its otherwise family friendly series. A darker Mario platformer does not need to take the same characters and world, make them gloomy, and strip them of their personalities. However, it should take what players are comfortable with and make said elements more sinister. It could be a Mario spin on surprisingly freaky games, not an edgy romp with Mario aesthetics painted on.
Super Mario Odyssey is available now on Nintendo Switch.
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