Further running with this theme, the kingdom is inhabited by resident Volbonans, whimsically animated forks with a flair for the culinary arts. Additionally, the course integrates food as a theme, turning lava into soup, rolling platforms into corn, and brick blocks into cheese. Comprised of a volcanic mountain and its surrounding lava-ridden region, most of the course involves platforming with the risk of falling into lava. Once the volcano erupts, Luncheon Kingdom becomes a medium-large “buffet”-sized course loosely based on Italy’s Mount Vesuvius. For mandating such a linear path forward, then, it’s disappointing the narrative is so incoherent. On top of this, some residents make mention of recent events like the path to the volcano crumbling and fire flooding the kingdom, but none of that makes much sense in context. For example, the connection between the Broodals, Cookatiel, and the erupting volcano is never made clear nor is Cookatiel’s presence. While playing through the narrative gives a sense of the course’s intricate layout, the story itself feels remarkably unpolished. From here, Mario must take a newly opened path through the volcano’s interior and up its other side to engage Cookatiel in a fantastic boss battle back atop the volcano for another Multi Moon. After picking up the Multi Moon, Cookatiel somehow catalyzes a volcanic eruption that sends Mario flying back to the Odyssey and alters the course layout. A short jaunt later, Mario fights Spewart in a mostly copy-pasted mini-boss battle and must continue through the level until reaching the top of the volcano, where he gets Cookatiel to drop him in a bowl of soup to reach the Multi Moon. Of course, upon arrival, Mario discovers Broodals overhead and a massive meat-obsessed bird named Cookatiel circling the stew. On the way to Luncheon Kingdom, Cappy alerts Mario of the region’s Stupendous Stew, prepared by a volcano. In this entry, I will be taking a look at the game’s eleventh course - Luncheon Kingdom. But is it truly the near-perfect experience many believe it to be, or might a deeper inspection reveal some telling blemishes? As I already have Super Mario 64, I will examine each of Super Mario Odyssey’s kingdoms in an attempt to glean insight into their stumbles and successes. And like its watershed grandfather, Odyssey is sure to carve its own special niche of influence and esteem in the gaming pantheon. Already among the most positively received games of all time, Super Mario Odyssey expands upon the open, flexible design philosophy of Super Mario 64 while incorporating contemporary design sensibilities and twenty years worth of polish.
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