It is easy to see why Hellblade received universal acclaim when it released on PlayStation and PC back in August 2017 and also why it swept 5 Baftas at the recent 2018 awards. It is a triumph of mature story telling, incredible audio design and meaty, visceral combat. What is even more impressive is that this game was created by a mere team of 20, released at a low price point and has production values that easily rival most AAA games on the market. A definitive must have for Action-Adventure Fans.
Mario Odyssey, in it's most simple description, is a triumph. How Nintendo manages to take a tried and successful formula, mould it into something fresh without breaking it is an outstanding achievement. However, Odyssey is much more than that. When Mario 64 launched in 1996 the world gasped; how did Nintendo manage to craft such an amazing experience? Well, now 21 one years later they seem to have done it once again. From the precision crafted gameplay mechanics to the beautifully created 3D worlds, Odyssey excels on all levels. It also offers incredible value for money with the sheer amount of content on offer. In a landscape where traditional single player games are becoming more scarce, Mario leads a shining example of what can be achieved.
There are very few games that will provoke as much thought after you walk away from the adventure. I genuinely found myself asking “What did I just experience?” as the credits rolled. Graphically the game is gorgeous and the controls snappy and intuitive. Inside is a triumph of both storytelling and game design, what it sets out to achieve as a video game it most certainly achieves. My only criticism would be that after completing the game there is no real reason to go back (unless you didn’t get all the Achievements/Trophies) and this is only a negative because I enjoyed the game so much.