Mario’s been to a lot of weird places, and he’s done a lot of strange things, but nothing compares to the surreal and bizarre world of “Super Mario Odyssey.”
“Super Mario Odyssey” is the next major flagship game in the classic franchise, from Nintendo’s world-class internal teams – and it’s nearly here.
With the launch of “Odyssey” coming up so soon on October 27, it’s time to get up to speed on Mario’s next big adventure. Here’s a look:
1. “Super Mario Odyssey” is an open-world, 3D Mario game.
“Super Mario Odyssey” is a 3D Mario game, along the lines of “Super Mario 64” and “Super Mario Sunshine.” That means it’s a sandbox-style game. The world is segmented into levels, but the levels are massive and open-ended.
Forget about flagpoles – in “Super Mario Odyssey,” you’re given free rein to go wherever you want within a world. There are no “beginning” and “end” points in “Odyssey,” in that sense. There is an overall story arc and a progression to the game, of course, but each world is open-ended in how you approach it.
2. "Odyssey" is still very much a Mario game.
If you've ever played a 3D Mario game before, you're familiar with "Super Mario Odyssey." I've spent a few hours playing the game at preview events in 2017, and I was able to directly apply previously learned Mario skills. The double jump, and the long jump, and the backflip, and whatever else you're expecting? It's in there.
In the long tradition of Mario games, "Odyssey" builds on the already existing framework of Mario gameplay and control.
3. The world of "Odyssey" is divided into "Kingdoms."
It's not clear how many kingdoms in total there are for Mario to explore - remember, these are large areas that are full of stuff to collect, puzzles to solve, and enemies to tackle - but Nintendo has thus far shown nine.
Here are all nine areas Nintendo detailed in its most recent video:
-New Donk City, Metro Kingdom
-Tostarena, Sand Kingdom
-Mount Volbono, Luncheon Kingdom
-Steam Gardens, Wooded Kingdom
-Bonneton, Cap Kingdom
-Fossil Falls, Cascade Kingdom
-Shiveria, Snow Kingdom
-Bubblaine, Seaside Kingdom
-Tropical island, Unknown kingdom
4. Mario has a special new power: A magic hat named "Cappy.'
You're of course controlling Mario once again. But rather than collecting power-ups to, say, grow larger or shoot fireballs, you've got a seemingly magical hat.
Cappy is actually a ghost from one of the game world's kingdoms. In cheeky Mario style, the place where Cappy is from is called "Bonneton."
5. "Odyssey" is essentially a buddy comedy.
Mario and Cappy are working together because Bowser stole people they care about. Thus, their epic voyage begins aboard a flying ship named the Odyssey. When Cappy isn't embodying Mario's standard red cap, his ghostly form is that of a fancy top hat.
They need a flying ship, you see, because Bowser has a flying ship of his own. It's a whole thing.
6. Cappy gives Mario special powers that replace power-ups.
What Cappy does for Mario in terms of gameplay is enable him to "capture" things. Mario essentially becomes whatever he captures. Above, you can see Mario as a fry pan-throwing Hammer Bro.
Here he is as a Bullet Bill:
And here he is as a T-rex:
You can literally become a Goomba, or a charge of electricity, or a fire-shooting Hammer Bro.
7. Capturing can unlock certain things.
"Capturing" these things enables Mario to do lots of stuff he couldn't normally. In this instance, "capturing" a human in New Donk City lets Mario control the R.C. taxi car on the ground.
8. There's a goofy dress-up system for Mario in "Odyssey." It looks delightful.
There's a variety of outfits you can buy for Mario in "Odyssey."
They are not power-ups, but they do confer certain attributes. Perhaps a character in one of the game's kingdoms will allow you access to a place you couldn't normally go, or you'll be able to complete an objective you couldn't normally complete.
You can also just play dress-up, if you're so inclined.
9. Your main goal in "Super Mario Odyssey" is collecting moons.
Think of moons in "Super Mario Odyssey" kind of like stars in "Super Mario 64." Maybe you see one on a floating platform that's hard to reach, or maybe you stumble into a boss fight that ends with you earning a moon.
They're hidden all over the place, and many can be earned through completing tasks or defeating enemies. The number of moons per level is unknown, but a list in the video shows more than 50 for Tostarena alone.
This one in Tostarena, for instance, is simply on top of a tall structure.
Though there are many more moons in "Odyssey" than the six-per-world in "Mario 64," the levels in "Odyssey" appear to be many times larger and more densely packed with stuff to do.
10. Moons power your ship, the Odyssey, thus enabling you to travel to new kingdoms.
You don't need to collect every moon in a given area to proceed to the next, but you do need to collect a certain number of moons in order to proceed. Once you reach that number, your ship has enough fuel to traverse the planet.
Here's a look at the world map Nintendo's shown in its trailers:
Will Mario go to the Moon? Is this planet a representation of the actual Earth? Why is Mario's ship so large in comparison to the land masses below it? These are the questions.
11. Beyond just collecting moons, there are plenty of asides.
When you're not jumping on enemies and leaping across perilous gaps, there's a bunch of other stuff to do in the game's open worlds. The one above simply asks Mario to jump rope, but there's other stuff that's far more bizarre.
Like whatever's going on here:
Indeed, that is a dog in a top hat. Of course it is.
12. There are 2D areas that are unbelievable looking.
Built directly into the game's 3D environments are 2D areas that put you in the shoes of Mario circa 1985. You walk through a 3D pipe, and come out the other side on a 2D plane superimposed into the 3D world. It's the kind of adorable and brilliant throwback that Nintendo nails so well.
But what if you're wearing a sombrero before going in? Glad you asked!
Indeed, "Odyssey" is a thoroughly detailed game.
13. There's a photo mode with loads of filters that enables incredible images, like this:
Given all the silliness in "Super Mario Odyssey," Nintendo's including a special photo feature to help you share. There are even editing features and filters to make some absurdly cool images.
I'm quite partial to this image I snapped during a preview event in September:
I call it, "The Tragedy of Mario."
Some of the filters make these shots look like a completely different game:
There's seemingly <em>so, so much more</em> to know about "Super Mario Odyssey." You'll be able to find out for yourself soon enough as the game arrives on October 27 for the Nintendo Switch.
Check out the latest trailer of "Super Mario Odyssey" right here:
