Chapter 400: Players Immersed in Odyssey (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 400: Players Immersed in Odyssey (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Sitting on the sofa in front of the TV, Zhang Yi and Wang Han each held a Switch controller. Wang Han had the blue controller in her hand, as it was for controlling Mario, while Zhang Yi held the red one.

Why? Because he had blurted out 'The cartridge is sweet' earlier! Now, he had been relegated to being an unfeeling tool.

"Here! Here! Quickly smash this crate!" In the Waterfall Kingdom, Wang Han directed Zhang Yi to control Cappy and smash some wooden crates.

The two of them were playing in TV Mode.

After all, they had already experienced the Switch's Handheld Mode at the exhibition.

As for TV Mode, while the graphics certainly couldn't compare to PC and VR, the larger screen and better resolution compared to Handheld Mode offered an even superior experience.

Moreover, the art style of Super Mario Odyssey wasn't meant to be realistic. This cartoon animation style made it feel anything but simplistic; instead, it had a unique and distinct beauty.

"How about we move on to the next area?" Zhang Yi cautiously offered his suggestion.

"Wait! I'm sure there's a hidden Moon here!" Wang Han voiced a different opinion.

Unlike at the exhibition, where time constraints prevented them from thoroughly exploring every corner of the map, now that they were at home, they could play however they wished. Diligently exploring every corner of the map, Wang Han discovered a particular detail underwater in the waterfall.

"Hey! This canvas-like thing, I can't get into it!" Wang Han exclaimed in surprise. Her intuition told her there must be a Moon behind this canvas. But unfortunately, no matter how Mario wandered around, she couldn't find any mechanism.

"It's probably for a later level, where you get something, or perhaps it's a new collectible item that only unlocks in the second playthrough," Zhang Yi said. After all, such methods weren't uncommon in games. For example, in Dark Souls, some items couldn't be obtained in the first playthrough and required a second playthrough. Super Mario Odyssey, it seemed, had a similar design.

One person controlled Mario, and the other controlled Cappy. The content of the first two levels, Cap Kingdom and Waterfall Kingdom, was already incredibly rich. But after entering the Sand Kingdom, each subsequent themed area was even more exhilarating than the last.

First, upon arriving in the Sand Kingdom, Bowser snatched a ring from the Sand Kingdom to prepare a wedding ring for Princess Peach. In this level, players could capture a cannonball and even travel through pipes, instantly transforming the game's 3D world into a 2D world, turning it into a side-scrolling platformer, which was full of surprises.

At the same time, the game also featured small side quests, such as helping villagers retrieve lost sheep. The reward, of course, was a Power Moon.

Additionally, at night, a group of scarf-wearing ghosts would appear on the sandy ground of the entire Sand Kingdom. At this point, players could spend coins to ride a ferocious mechanical beast, allowing them to rampage through the desert. The only thing to watch out for was that this mechanical beast was incredibly fast, making it easy to overshoot your target.

From this point, the game's content became increasingly rich, and upon entering the Wooded Kingdom, even more interesting capture targets appeared. For example, after clearing levels in the Wooded Kingdom map, new elements would appear, and players could even capture a tank for a tank battle.

There were sun-like flowers that, when collected with Cappy, could be attached to Mario's back, making him dash with rocket-like propulsion.

And while the game seemed simple, it presented quite a few challenges in actual gameplay. After clearing this level, a special secret room would trigger. Falling off a cliff here wouldn't result in death, but rather transport you to a dark new underground area. Here, players needed to find a seed to clear the level.

Just like the previous levels, this underground world also held many Power Moons. However, it was also fraught with peril, as a living Tyrannosaurus Rex would chase the player.

"Oh my god! This Tyrannosaurus Rex is actually alive!" Wang Han, upon first entering the Wooded Kingdom's underground world, was stunned watching the Tyrannosaurus Rex lunging at them. She had seen this Tyrannosaurus Rex in the second level, Waterfall Kingdom, and even captured and controlled it for a bit. But in this underground world, the Tyrannosaurus Rex was actually alive!

"So fast! Quick, capture it with Cappy!" Wang Han nervously shouted, pressing ZL and continuously shaking the controller to make Mario roll.

She realized that the Tyrannosaurus Rex's speed was incredibly fast, even faster than her rolling speed.

"No use, this Tyrannosaurus Rex seems to be invincible!" Zhang Yi, beside her, tried hitting the Tyrannosaurus Rex a couple of times with Cappy, then expressed his helplessness.

Meanwhile, Wang Han had been caught and bitten again by the Tyrannosaurus Rex, leaving her with only one health point out of three.

"Hehe, one life each, get ready to switch!" Zhang Yi chuckled, seeing Wang Han's health bar down to its last segment.

The previous levels were indeed not difficult. Unless one intentionally tried to die, it was hard to perish. But now? This wasn't his fault; this Tyrannosaurus Rex was genuinely unmanageable!

"Hmph!" Hearing Zhang Yi's words, Wang Han huffed, then switched to the game mode options.

[Assist Mode] activated! Loading the current map again, to Zhang Yi's dumbfounded expression, Mario's health in the game turned into six segments. And falling off a cliff would now summon a bubble to bring Mario back up from below. Furthermore, after taking damage, staying still would replenish health. This greatly reduced the game's difficulty! This was the Assist Mode specifically designed for beginners in the game. After all, platformer games could be very challenging. Although Super Mario Odyssey's difficulty curve was quite well-designed, some people would still get stuck, so this Assist Mode was very necessary.

Moreover, unlike Souls-like games, Super Mario Odyssey's art style meant that hardcore players would naturally be a niche audience, with more casual players forming the majority. Hence, Assist Mode was absolutely essential. Of course, there was a slight difference from his previous life: Chen Xu had added a new option where players could choose to only keep the increased health, ensuring they wouldn't instantly die in the game. However, the guiding arrows could be toggled on or off, allowing players more freedom to explore Odyssey's world.

In his previous life, many Super Mario Odyssey players were actually quite conflicted. On one hand, they wanted the game's difficulty to be lower, so they wouldn't instantly die from platforming challenges or monsters along the way. On the other hand, they didn't want to be guided by official walkthroughs, preferring to explore levels on their own. In the end, it was a dilemma whether to turn it on or off.

Zhang Yi watched dumbfounded as Wang Han, with her six health segments, pitiably and helplessly clutched the red controller, making Cappy fly left and right.

He had never imagined there was such a trick!

"Here! You play Mario!" Wang Han smiled, looking at Zhang Yi's expression, then handed him the controller.

"Hehe!" Zhang Yi chuckled, taking the controller without a word.

"Stop giggling, let's find the way."

There were many players like Zhang Yi and Wang Han. After getting started with Super Mario Odyssey, both single-player and two-player experiences offered unique fun. Over a dozen uniquely themed kingdoms, dozens of capture targets with different abilities, and rich content kept players deeply immersed in the world of 'Odyssey'.

(End of Chapter) <>