In Mario 64, it was an absolute delight to find out that there is an entire pyramid to explore from the inside that is just as big as the level itself in Shifting Sand Land. Just like it was remarkable to be plopped down in Bob-omb Battlefield and blast onto a floating island, climb to the top of the mountain to defeat Big Bob-omb, or unchain Chain Chomp for Stars, Mario Odyssey allows freedom of exploration in a level like Fossil Falls, where players can jump onto hidden floating isles, defeat Madame Broode on top of the mountain, and capture a Chain Chomp to burst open a wall for Moons. Darn near perfect gameplay and freedom is part of the reason Odyssey reviewed so exceptionally. From a gameplay perspective, Mario Odyssey provides the same feeling of freedom and expression of exploration that Mario 64 provided. Obviously, things like camera functionality, platforming gameplay, and feel (expected in a Nintendo game in 2020) are there as a big step-up from Mario 64, but those betterments are more on a technical perspective. There is so much about Mario Odyssey that feels like Mario 64, but improved on. This is very similar to Super Mario Galaxy, for example, which is one of the other titles inside of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. The 2D Mario games, like Super Mario World, are filled with puzzles and secrets, but the end goal is usually to simply go from point A to point B.

While games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World are supreme titles, they are in some ways more of an evolution of the 2D Mario games, with the gameplay having a more obstacle course focus and feel than anything.

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