Chapter 396: Players Stunned with Amazement (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Twenty-odd minutes of trial play, though the actual playtime was probably around fifteen minutes.

Because for about ten minutes, the two players' friendship was severely tested.

In the game, one person controlled the hat, and the other controlled Mario.

Each had their own direction they wanted to explore.

However, many scenes could not be successfully explored without the other person.

Many chests and mechanisms in the game required the use of the hat to solve.

Similarly, the player controlling the hat could not even shift their perspective without Mario's help.

And some content also required Mario's assistance to reach.

Of course, a more important point was that Super Mario Odyssey completely showcased different gameplay.

If Animal Forest didn't hold much interest for players who weren't keen on simulation management games, especially those with a real-world time concept, then Super Mario Odyssey was far more joyful.

While its visual presentation certainly couldn't compare to top-tier games on PC and VR platforms, its cartoon-rendered art style was still eye-catching. More importantly, it was about the gameplay.

The graphics weren't top-notch, and the story was a simple tale of a plumber rescuing a princess from a demon king.

One could say Super Mario Odyssey was a game that conquered players purely through its gameplay. It possessed an irresistible magic, making it a game that you just couldn't stop playing.

Before actually playing it, just watching might make you think the game had nothing special. While the art was excellent, it was too卡通, giving a childish impression and making it feel like a game only children would play.

Furthermore, the plot had nothing unique about it; one could even say it lacked any appealing points. But once you truly got hands-on, you'd feel that every corner of the game world held a surprise.

It always felt like every nook and cranny of the map was hiding something, because in Super Mario Odyssey, every design perfectly understood the player's psychology and behavior.

In a game, upon seeing a spot higher than normal, wouldn't most players want to go up and check it out? Or other points designed to attract player attention?

Within these, Super Mario Odyssey hid all sorts of surprises and secrets, making every corner of the world feel incredibly fresh, and the entire world shrouded in mystery, waiting for players to unveil.

As a platformer, its rich action system also amazed players, especially the concept that the hat is the true protagonist. Paired with the in-game hat, players could even possess various objects and creatures. Different creatures in different scenes and themes offered different effects.

In Super Mario Odyssey, players could only play two levels: the tutorial-like Cap Kingdom, and the more advanced Cascade Kingdom. After clearing the Cap Kingdom and Cascade Kingdom, players could collect a total of 42 Moons, with surprises hidden in almost every corner.

Of course, while some collection elements were challenging, Super Mario Odyssey still offered a helper mode, allowing clumsy players to enjoy and collect more easily.

It was truly a game where adults and children, masters and noobs, could all find joy. The game also featured some very cool designs, such as possessing a giant Chomp with the hat, allowing players to destroy various rocks and mechanisms with a charged dash.

Similarly, in the Cascade Kingdom, players would experience their first extremely exhilarating moment: putting the hat on a deceased T-Rex and rampaging through the environment with it.

As various rocks were destroyed, players were surprised to find many hidden mechanisms in the scene, concealing the Power Moons they needed to collect.

The first round of trial play concluded, leaving many players with a feeling of wanting more.

Many Animal Forest players felt regret, as the real-world time setting meant new content couldn't be unlocked the same day after they'd just gotten into the groove. Meanwhile, Super Mario Odyssey players were astonished to find that even though the demo had only two simple trial levels and the entire storyline could be completed in about ten minutes, the sheer abundance of hidden Moons and special currency on the map was incredible.

Some players had racked their brains, thinking they had collected all the Moons in Cap Kingdom. However, the total Moon count in the upper left corner told them, “You thought you'd collected all the Moons in this scene? You thought you'd thoroughly explored and filled this themed area?”

To that, one could only say they were thinking too much; their exploration of the scene was utterly superficial.

………………

The four-day exhibition's relevant content, once uploaded online, also caused a huge uproar. Previously, there had been unofficial news, but many people thought it was probably false information.

But now, this handheld console had actually been made? And it was quite sophisticated, even having two exclusive games specifically designed for it?

During the exhibition, many players who experienced it also released various videos. Animal Forest, Super Mario Odyssey, and the new Switch handheld console all left many players feeling amazed.

They had initially thought that Nebula Games' so-called new handheld would be no different from previous ones, just adding more gimmicks. But now, it was clear that the new handheld's style was completely different from what came before.

And more critically, it came with two games that were distinctly different from anything else on the market.

One was a very casual simulation management game, and the other was a fun-filled platformer that supported motion control and two-player co-op.

From the art style and positioning of both games, it was also evident that the Switch was clearly designed for all-ages.

“All the little animals in Animal Forest are so cute!”

“I love this game so much! I wonder when I'll be able to play it?!”

“Super Mario Odyssey is much more fun! The design of all the Moons is absolutely brilliant; it feels like they could appear anywhere on the map!”

“And the hat mechanic! I was stunned when he possessed a frog, and the T-Rex later on was incredibly cool.”

“It's not just these two new games; titles like It Takes Two and Overcooked feel even more interesting with the Switch's features.”

“Haha, now It Takes Two is really going to become Male Bonding Takes Two. Did everyone see that exhibition video? So many grown men sitting side-by-side, practically face-to-face while playing.”

“But I wonder how much this handheld called Switch will cost.”

“Yeah, it shouldn't be cheap, right? It looks pretty cool, and I guess new platform games will have to be bought again.”

With the conclusion of this gameplay Expo, online players, in addition to focusing on NetDragon's Shadow Operations: The Wilderness and TengHua's Chaotic Heroes, also discussed the Switch.

After all, from the demonstration, this brand-new handheld console truly had unique features.

(End of Chapter) <>