Super Mario Odyssey is not merely another entry in a long-standing franchise; it is a profound celebration of the platforming genre. Since its release on October 27, 2017, it has remained one of the definitive reasons to own a Nintendo Switch. By blending the open-ended exploration found in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine with modern technological polish and a radical "Capture" mechanic, Nintendo EPD created a masterpiece that feels both nostalgic and experimental. The game challenges the traditional linearity of previous 3D Mario titles like Super Mario 3D World, offering instead a series of vast, toy-box-like kingdoms that reward curiosity at every turn.

The Evolution of the Sandbox Mario Formula

The core design philosophy of Super Mario Odyssey marks a deliberate shift back to the "Sandbox" style of 3D platformers. For years, Nintendo focused on the "Course Clear" style of gameplay seen in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D Land, where players moved from point A to point B in a more controlled, linear environment. Odyssey discards this constraint in favor of massive, non-linear kingdoms.

In this environment, exploration is the primary driver of progress. Instead of collecting one Power Star and being booted back to a central hub, players remain within the kingdom, continuously discovering Power Moons. This creates a seamless flow of gameplay. In our extensive playtime, the most striking element is how the game respects the player's time. You might find a moon hidden behind a crate, another by winning a race, and a third by solving a perspective puzzle—all within five minutes. This "just one more moon" loop is the secret behind the game's addictive nature.

The kingdoms are not just large; they are dense. Every corner, every suspicious-looking wall, and every distant platform is placed with intent. This is a return to form that many long-term fans had been craving since the GameCube era, providing a sense of discovery that linear stages simply cannot replicate.

Mastering Cappy and the Capture Mechanic

The most significant innovation in Super Mario Odyssey is the introduction of Cappy, a sentient hat from the Cap Kingdom. Cappy replaces Mario's traditional power-ups—like the Fire Flower or Tanooki Suit—with the "Capture" ability. By throwing Cappy at enemies or objects, Mario essentially "possesses" them, gaining their unique physics and skill sets.

This mechanic fundamentally changes the logic of 3D platforming. In traditional games, obstacles are static challenges you overcome with your default moves. In Odyssey, the obstacle often becomes the solution.

Essential Capture Targets and Their Strategic Value

Throughout the journey, players can capture over 50 different entities. Each one provides a different way to interact with the world:

  • The Frog (Cap Kingdom): One of the first captures, the frog allows Mario to reach incredible heights that would be impossible with a standard jump. It serves as an early lesson in verticality.
  • Bullet Bill (Sand Kingdom): Capturing a Bullet Bill turns the game into a flight simulator. It allows players to bypass massive gaps and reach distant platforms, but with a ticking clock as the Bill eventually explodes.
  • Cheep Cheep (Lake/Seaside Kingdom): Swimming levels are notoriously difficult in many platformers, but capturing a Cheep Cheep removes the oxygen constraint and grants precise 360-degree underwater movement.
  • The T-Rex (Cascade Kingdom): This is the game’s "power fantasy" moment. As a T-Rex, you are invincible and can smash through obstacles that were previously impassable, showing the scale and humor Nintendo injected into the experience.
  • Pokio (Bowser’s Kingdom): A small bird that can poke its beak into walls to flick itself upward. This capture transforms the game into a unique climbing puzzle.

The brilliance of the Capture system is that it never feels like a gimmick. It is seamlessly integrated into the level design. For instance, in the Wooded Kingdom, you must capture an Uproot—a plant-like creature that can stretch its legs—to elevate yourself to higher platforms. The game forces you to constantly rethink your environment based on the creatures inhabiting it.

A Journey Through the Kingdoms of the Odyssey

The variety of environments in Super Mario Odyssey is unparalleled. Mario travels aboard the Odyssey, a hat-shaped airship powered by Power Moons, to visit kingdoms that range from traditional Mario aesthetics to bizarre, realistic, and abstract worlds.

New Donk City: The Vertical Playground

The Metro Kingdom, home to New Donk City, is perhaps the most famous level in the game. It features realistic humans and a gritty urban aesthetic that contrasts sharply with Mario’s cartoony design. The city is a vertical masterpiece. Skyscrapers serve as the platforms, and electrical wires act as fast-travel points.

During our testing, we found that New Donk City offers the most rewarding "advanced" platforming. Skilled players can use wall jumps, hat throws, and dives to navigate from the street level to the top of the Mayor’s building without ever touching the ground. It is a dense playground that culminates in a nostalgic festival celebrating the series’ history, arguably one of the greatest moments in modern gaming.

Tostarena: The Expansive Desert

The Sand Kingdom (Tostarena) serves as the first truly large sandbox. It combines Mexican-inspired culture with an icy desert theme. The sheer horizontal scale of Tostarena encourages the use of Jaxi, a stone lion that can sprint across the desert at high speeds. This kingdom teaches the player that Power Moons are hidden in plain sight, rewarding those who observe the environment for subtle anomalies.

Steam Gardens: Mechanical Nature

The Wooded Kingdom (Steam Gardens) is a fascinating blend of lush forest and rusty machinery. The level design here is more segmented and vertical. It introduces the concept of the "Deep Woods," a hidden area at the bottom of the map that feels like a survival-horror mini-game. The contrast between the upbeat surf-rock music and the industrial atmosphere makes this kingdom a standout for its unique vibe.

Movement as the Ultimate Reward

For core fans, the real draw of any Mario game is the movement. Super Mario Odyssey offers the most complex and fluid moveset in the history of the series. Mario’s standard movements—the triple jump, the long jump, the backflip, and the side somersault—are all present, but Cappy adds a new layer of aerial mobility.

The "Hat Jump" is a technique that separates casual players from experts. By throwing Cappy, diving onto him, and then performing a second hat throw and dive, players can cross enormous distances. In our experience, mastering this sequence changes how you view the kingdoms. Suddenly, a platform that looked like a background element becomes a reachable objective.

Nintendo also incorporated motion controls into the Joy-Cons. While the game is fully playable in handheld mode or with a Pro Controller, using the Joy-Cons allows for flicking motions that can make Cappy home in on enemies or perform a powerful spin attack. While some might find motion controls polarizing, they are implemented here with a level of precision that feels natural rather than forced.

Post-Game Depth and the Pursuit of 100% Completion

The credits rolling in Super Mario Odyssey is merely the beginning. The main story can be completed with roughly 124 Power Moons, but there are 880 unique moons in total (expanding to 999 if you purchase duplicates from shops).

Once the main story is finished, "Moon Rocks" in every kingdom shatter, releasing a fresh batch of more difficult moons to find. Furthermore, the game unlocks the Mushroom Kingdom, a direct tribute to Super Mario 64 featuring Peach’s Castle. This area is filled with nostalgic references and challenges that require players to use everything they have learned.

For those seeking a true challenge, the "Dark Side" and "Darker Side" of the Moon offer grueling gauntlets. The Darker Side is a massive, multi-stage platforming challenge that tests your mastery of every capture and movement mechanic in the game. Completing it is a badge of honor for any platforming enthusiast.

Technical Performance and Visual Presentation

Super Mario Odyssey is a technical marvel for the Nintendo Switch hardware. The game targets a rock-solid 60 frames per second (FPS) in both docked and handheld modes. This high frame rate is crucial for a precision platformer where timing is everything.

To achieve this, Nintendo uses a dynamic resolution scaling system. In docked mode, the resolution generally fluctuates around 900p, while in handheld mode, it sits near 720p. Despite these technical compromises, the art direction is so vibrant and diverse that the game remains one of the most visually impressive titles on the system. The animation work on Mario and Cappy is particularly noteworthy; Mario’s outfits—from a wedding suit to a 1920s explorer gear—showcase a level of detail that brings the character to life.

The soundtrack also deserves mention. It features a mix of orchestral arrangements, jazz, and 8-bit remixes. The vocal track "Jump Up, Super Star!" performed by the character Pauline, became a viral hit and perfectly encapsulates the game's joyful, celebratory energy.

The Multiplayer Experience

While Super Mario Odyssey is primarily a single-player journey, it does offer a cooperative mode. In this mode, Player 1 controls Mario while Player 2 controls Cappy. This is a "supportive" co-op style rather than a competitive one.

Player 2 has more freedom of movement as Cappy, allowing them to fly around, collect coins, and attack enemies independently of Mario’s position. This makes the game an excellent choice for parents playing with children or for friends who want to tackle the game’s more difficult platforming sections together. However, for veteran players, the co-op can feel slightly restrictive as it removes the ability for Mario to perform certain solo "Hat Jump" combos.

Additional Features and Updates

Since its launch, Nintendo has added several free updates to enhance the longevity of the game:

  • Luigi’s Balloon World: An asynchronous online hide-and-seek mode. Players can hide a balloon in a kingdom and challenge others to find it within a time limit. This mode encourages players to learn the maps inside out to find the most obscure hiding spots.
  • Photo Mode: A robust system that allows players to pause the game at any time, move the camera, and apply filters. It’s a testament to the game’s beauty that the community is still sharing creative screenshots years later.
  • VR Mode: Through a free update for the Nintendo Labo VR Kit, players can experience several mini-missions in a virtual reality setting. While limited, it provides a unique perspective on the scale of the kingdoms.

Summary of the Odyssey Experience

Super Mario Odyssey is a rare game that appeals to every type of player. For children and casual gamers, it is a colorful, forgiving adventure with a helpful "Assist Mode." For core gamers and speedrunners, it is a deep, mechanically complex playground that rewards skill and creativity. It is a game built on the concept of "surprise." Every time you think you have seen everything a kingdom has to offer, you find a hidden sub-area, a 2-pixel-perfect jump, or a charming interaction with an NPC.

By returning to the sandbox roots of the franchise, Nintendo didn't just look backward; they redefined what a 3D platformer can be in the modern era. The "Capture" mechanic remains one of the most innovative features in gaming history, ensuring that the gameplay never grows stale over its hundreds of moons.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mario Odyssey

How many kingdoms are in Super Mario Odyssey?

There are 17 kingdoms in total, including the main story kingdoms like the Metro, Sand, and Wooded Kingdoms, as well as secret post-game areas like the Mushroom Kingdom and the Darker Side of the Moon.

Does Mario Odyssey support the Nintendo Switch Lite?

Yes, the game is fully playable on the Nintendo Switch Lite. However, because the Switch Lite does not have detachable Joy-Cons, some of the optional motion-control moves (like the homing hat throw) require shaking the entire console, which can be less convenient than using separate controllers.

Is there a traditional "lives" system in the game?

No, Super Mario Odyssey removes the traditional "Game Over." When Mario loses all his health or falls into a pit, he loses 10 gold coins. Since gold coins are abundant, this makes the game more focused on exploration and experimentation rather than punishing the player for mistakes.

Can you play as other characters besides Mario?

While the main game focuses on Mario, you can "capture" and play as dozens of different enemies and objects. Additionally, the post-game includes an appearance by Luigi, though he is primarily an NPC for the "Balloon World" mini-game and not a playable platforming character in the traditional sense.

How much storage space does the game require?

The digital version of Super Mario Odyssey takes up approximately 5.6 GB of storage on the Nintendo Switch. This is remarkably efficient for a game of its scope and visual quality.

Are Amiibo necessary to complete the game?

No, Amiibo are entirely optional. Scanning them can unlock certain costumes early or provide hints for Power Moon locations (through Uncle amiibo), but all costumes and moons can be obtained through normal gameplay without purchasing any additional figurines.

What is the purpose of the purple coins?

Each kingdom has its own unique currency in the form of purple coins (usually 50 or 100 per kingdom). These coins can only be spent in the kingdom where they are found and are used to buy local outfits and decorative items for the Odyssey ship. Finding all the purple coins is a key part of achieving 100% completion.

Is the game difficult for beginners?

The game is designed to be accessible. It features an "Assist Mode" that provides more health, shows the path to the next objective with arrows, and prevents Mario from dying when falling off platforms (he is instead bubbled back up). This makes it an ideal first game for newcomers to the series.

Does the game have any DLC or expansions?

Aside from the free updates like Luigi’s Balloon World, the VR mode, and new costumes, there have been no paid DLC expansions for Super Mario Odyssey. The game is a complete experience from the moment you purchase it.