The new Super Mario Odyssey DLC, Luigi’s Balloon World, was recently released. While the premise may not seem promising, the DLC manages to live up to the standard set by the main game by providing players with a deceptively entertaining form of multiplayer and a welcome excuse to revisit Odyssey.
Luigi’s Balloon World – Mini Review
I was not impressed when Nintendo announced that Super Mario Odyssey was getting DLC in the form of ‘Luigi’s Balloon World‘. Sure, I’ve been clamouring for some extra Odyssey content, but this really isn’t what I had in mind. Hell, I’d rather just have Luigi as a playable character and be done with it. Fortunately, Luigi’s Balloon World is a lot more fun in practice than it is on paper.
Luigi’s Balloon World is essentially a game of hide and seek. You can search for balloons or hide your own to make some cash. It may sound simple, but it can be addictive fun. I didn’t know I wanted this until the update came out, and it has given me a few more hours with Odyssey. It fills the game’s multiplayer gap, and it’s much more exciting than any of the Koopa races.
Gameplay
Luigi’s Balloon World adds the Balloon mini-game, as well as some new outfits. These new outfits are the ‘Sunshine Outfit’, the ‘Musician Outfit’, and the ‘Knight Armour’. These are a nice addition, but their prices shocked me. You have to spend 1,500 coins on the Musician’s outfit, 4,500 on the Sunshine Outfit, and an eye-watering 8,000 coins on the Suit of Armour, bringing the DLCs total coin cost up to 14,000 gold coins. At first, it was upsetting. I really wanted the Sunshine Outfit, but it was so expensive. Thank goodness, therefore, for the coin rewards.
You get a number of coins for every balloon you find, as well as coins for balloons you’ve hidden. It’ll seem like a minuscule amount at first, but, as you play more, you start racking up more and more coins. Before I knew it, I had 9999 coins for the first time, and was able to buy the Sunshine Outfit with plenty to spare. This is a brilliant incentive for the player-base to pick up Super Mario Odyssey again. There are hundreds of balloons to find, and hours of fun to be had.
Issues
Of course, the update also has issues. Luckily, the only game-breaking one is the ability to place balloons in out-of-bounds areas. This can ruin the streak you’ve been working on, and has hampered my motivation for playing numerous times. Nintendo needs to fix this as soon as possible by patching the bugs, or by temporarily banning players who ruin the fun for everyone else. It would be nice to be able to change the music that plays during each run, as it can get repetitive. Additionally, there is the small but inevitable issue of certain balloon locations being overused.
Conclusion
This patch is great if you own Super Mario Odyssey and are desperate for new content. Even if you’re not, it’s worth giving it a few hours of your time. It’s no new kingdom, but it’s enough content to scratch that platforming itch a little while longer.