Similar to how Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury has taken 3D Mario games to new heights, allowing Mario to explore a true open world in whatever order the player wants. Bowser's Fury is the BOTW of 3D Mario titles, and it's the direction Nintendo needs to take all future Mario projects.
Before the era of the Nintendo Switch, both The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario franchises were fairly linear. Before progressing to a new location, players needed to complete a specific task, and things had to be done in a certain order for the storyline to progress. However, the release of BOTW took everything players thought they knew about The Legend of Zelda and changed it completely. While some fans still claim Ocarina of Time is the superior 3D Zelda game, BOTW is hailed by many as one of the greatest video games of all time.
Super Mario Odyssey took a similar route, compared to traditional 3D Mario games. Games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Sunshine limited players to collecting one Star or Shine Sprite when entering a level, whereas Super Mario Odyssey allowed players to freely explore larger areas filled with hundreds of Power Moons. This eliminated the need for a hub world and allowed players to feel freer than ever. Odyssey's kingdoms were also massive compared to anything in previous titles, the number of Power Moons in each made them feel dense, and the ways players could interact with each world made them feel alive. However, the presence of loading screens kept Super Mario Odyssey from offering players the same level of freedom as BOTW.
Bowser's Fury Is To Mario Games What BOTW Is To Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dropped players into a massive open world without any barriers. Players could go to any mountain they saw in the distance from the very beginning. No loading screens appeared when entering villages. There was no completing specific quests to get an item to progress to the next checkpoint. Players were given a single objective and allowed to complete that goal any way they wanted. The game's side quests and story objectives could be completed in any order. Players were truly able to save the kingdom of Hyrule in a way they saw fit.
Although Bowser's Fury has substantially less content than Super Mario Odyssey, it does what Odyssey couldn't. Super Mario Odyssey DLC could offer.
That being said, Bowser's Fury isn't on the same level as Breath of the Wild. Players won't be able to spend hundreds of hours exploring Lake Lapcat and expect to discover new things. Bowser's Fury only scratches the surface of what Mario games can be. But until the next major 3D Super Mario title is released, Bowser's Fury is Mario's BOTW.
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