There is more to enjoy about one of the Nintendo Switch’s best launch titles. And you don’t have to shell out a penny for it.
'Super Mario Odyssey' 'Balloon World' is set to blow players’ minds
"Super Mario Odyssey" arrived as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch in October of 2017. It was met with acclaim from critics and fans alike of the three-decade-old franchise and its Italian Plumber protagonist. There is even more for them to be excited about in Mario’s latest adventure, which, while already brimming with content, has added a new time-sensitive minigame starring Mario’s endearing sidekick and brother, Luigi.
Once the main story is beat, players can access "Luigi’s Balloon World," where, as reported by IGN, “Players will need to find Luigi in each world to begin either hiding or finding balloons hidden by other players.” And can also treat themselves to “...new outfits, filters, and different game modes…” This is a gift that games rarely give players for free nowadays, typically only giving them in the form of microtransactions.
Completion gifts are nothing new for Mario fans, however, as they have been awarded with other prizes for beating Mario’s stories in the past. The most notable example being in Mario’s first 3D adventure, "Super Mario 64," where if the player collects all of the 120 stars, they can access the roof of Princess Peach’s castle, meet the dinosaur Yoshi, and give Mario one hundred lives.
Why gamers will love ‘Luigi’s Balloon World’
Aside from having a title that displays the franchise’s signature sense of fun, it also offers nostalgia for anyone who was a gamer in the 90s. As Comicbook.com has indicated “...the way that Luigi’s personal balloons were organized wasn’t an accident and was actually a throwback to the Super Nintendo’s button layout.” This was especially true for anyone who was a gamer outside of North America, as Luigi's balloons specifically mirror the color scheme of the control buttons for the Super Nintendo (If you were to turn the controller vertical with the right-hand side up).
Going clockwise, they erred, yellow, green, and blue. With Luigi's hat acting as a reference to the green button, in place of a balloon, where the other balloons are seen floating around his head.
While the Super Nintendo controller buttons were actually shades of purple in North America, that matter is addressed through the balloons of Luigi’s evil doppelganger, Waluigi, whose balloons mirror the North American design.
