MarioWiki

Vote for a featured article!

READ MORE

MarioWiki
Register
Advertisement
Super Mario


"Can everyone please stop telling jokes and start actually helping?!"
BJJ Wendy O Koopa and Captains Wendy O. Koopa is not happy. She has spotted broken links on this article. You can make her proud by helping MarioWiki editors create pages!

Super Mario Odyssey (スーパーマリオオデッセイ, Super Mario Odyssey) is a platforming game for the Nintendo Switch. It is the nineteenth title in the Super Mario series, the seventh original 3D Mario game and the eighth 3D Mario title overall. It was released internationally on October 27, 2017, then in South Korea and Taiwan on December 1, 2017, and in China on March 16, 2020.

The game won the Game of the Year award at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards (where it also won the other categories it was nominated for, except for Control Precision, which was won by Cuphead) and was also nominated for the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2017 and it lost to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Despite the loss, it won Best Family Game at the aforementioned ceremony.

Story[]

SMO Mario Bowser airship showdown

The showdown between Mario and Bowser on the latter's airship at the start of the game

The story begins in the skies above Peach's Castle, where Mario and Bowser are in the middle of fighting each other on Bowser's Airship, with Princess Peach on board as well, witnessing the battle. Bowser punches the ground as Mario jumps backward. Bowser then jumps at Mario and shoots fire at him, missing. Bowser then throws his hat at Mario, which misses while knocking Mario's cap off his head, then turns around, hitting Mario and sending him flying. Bowser then takes his airship toward the skies, as he prepares a forced marriage to Peach. He leaves Mario's cap adrift into the ship's back propellers, shredding it in the process. A piece is obtained by a Bonneter named Cappy, who eventually finds Mario in Bonneton, located in the Cap Kingdom.

Cappy begins nudging Mario to awaken him. Mario wakes up, startling Cappy, who attempts to flee. Upon being calmed down, Cappy introduces himself and explains to Mario that Bowser not only had attacked their kingdom, destroying its airship armada, but had also kidnapped Tiara, Cappy's sister, to use her as Peach's wedding headdress. Together, the two decide to team up to stop Bowser's plans and save both Peach and Tiara, and using the piece he collected, Cappy transforms into Mario's cap, allowing Mario to use his abilities. Cappy then informs Mario that they may be able to find a usable airship in the next kingdom, accessible from the Top-Hat Tower. While exploring the tower, Mario captures a frog, first learning of this being Cappy's main ability. Upon reaching the top, they encounter the Broodals, who were hired by Bowser as his wedding planners. After defeating one of the Broodals, named Topper, Mario and Cappy use a spark pylon to travel to Fossil Falls of the Cascade Kingdom, where they find the airship, named the Odyssey, which uses Power Moons as energy to travel. Soon after, Mario and Cappy find and defeat Madame Broode, who is the boss of the Broodals, and her Chain Chomp. Using the power of the Multi Moon obtained from Madame Broode, the Odyssey becomes functional once more, and Mario and Cappy use it to chase after Bowser and the Broodals.

Mario vs Bowser Odyssey

Mario re-encountering Bowser outside of his airship, near the Nimbus Arena

Mario and Cappy travel through several kingdoms. They begin with Tostarena of the Sand Kingdom, in which they must discover the source of an unusually cold desert before battling and defeating Hariet and Knucklotec, respectively. However, it is revealed that Bowser had already successfully stolen the Binding Band to use as a wedding ring for his bride, this being the cause of the desert's temperature. However, once the ring's guardian is defeated, heat is restored to the desert. After this, Mario and Cappy travel to and explore Lake Lamode of the Lake Kingdom and the Steam Gardens of the Wooded Kingdom, where Bowser has stolen the Lochlady Dress and the Soirée Bouquet, respectively. After this, while the two travel to New Donk City of the Metro Kingdom, they are halted by Bowser on his airship. After a battle commences in the Nimbus Arena of the Cloud Kingdom, Mario emerges victorious. Regardless, after he is knocked onto his airship, Bowser fires at the Odyssey, causing it to crash and land in the Forgotten Isle of the Lost Kingdom.

After Mario rescues Cappy from a Klepto and collects more Power Moons to restore the Odyssey, they travel through New Donk City of the Metro Kingdom, Shiveria of the Snow Kingdom, Bubblaine of the Seaside Kingdom, and Mount Volbono of the Luncheon Kingdom. They then attempt to enter Bowser's Castle in Bowser's Kingdom; however, they are encountered by Bowser before they get there. Instead of fighting Mario and Cappy, Bowser orders the Ruined Dragon to attack the Odyssey. This causes the ship to fall to Crumbleden of the Ruined Kingdom, where Mario and Cappy directly fight and defeat the Ruined Dragon. After restoring the Odyssey again, they finally go to Bowser's Castle and find Bowser with Peach. Bowser reveals that he plans to hold his wedding on the moon, and leaves Mario and Cappy to fight the Broodals in the RoboBrood.

Mario and Cappy destroy the RoboBrood, sending the Broodals flying as they recover another Multi Moon. They then head off to Honeylune Ridge of the Moon Kingdom to stop the marriage between Bowser and Peach. They interrupt the wedding as Bowser is attempting to put the Binding Band that was previously stolen from Tostarena on Peach. Bowser then stomps the floor, revealing a trapdoor under Mario and Cappy. Cappy grabs Mario by the fingers and tries to pull him out of the trapdoor, but his hands slip, causing him to drop Mario and fall into it himself. Bowser jumps in after them and engages them in battle, but he is defeated. Mario, Cappy, Peach, and Tiara are reunited but soon discover that the area they are in is collapsing, causing Mario to capture an unconscious Bowser and escape, with all of them eventually returning to the moon. Mario and Bowser then simultaneously propose to marry Peach, with Mario offering a Rocket Flower and Bowser offering a Soirée Bouquet. Peach firmly rejects them both and leaves with Cappy and Tiara, much to Mario and Bowser's dejection. She then calls from the Odyssey, saying, "Let's go home!" As the ship takes off, Mario and Bowser run after it. While Mario successfully jumps onto it, he stomps on Bowser, leaving him stuck on the moon.

After the credits, the Odyssey lands in the Mushroom Kingdom near Peach's Castle, where Cappy says that he enjoyed the adventure and wishes to continue traveling with Mario to collect more Power Moons. They do so, going through the Mushroom Kingdom, as well as Rabbit Ridge of the dark side of the moon and Culmina Crater of the darker side of the moon in the process. Meanwhile, Peach and Tiara travel the kingdoms on Peach's "own terms," while finding Power Moons themselves that they give to Mario when he meets up with them.

Gameplay[]

Cascade Kingdom SMO screenshot

Mario in Cascade Kingdom, one of the first worlds accessed in the game

Super Mario Odyssey's gameplay is similar to previous 3D Mario games, although it is now structured in an open-world setting, somewhat like in Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario 64 DS. Mario uses a ship named the Odyssey, a hat-shaped flying vehicle to fly to the game's many kingdoms. He retains many of his moves from the 3D games, such as the Long Jump, Roll, Ground Pound, Ground Pound Jump, Double Jump, Triple Jump, and the returning Dive.

Mario additionally has some new techniques, including one where he can throw Cappy and use it as a platform. By throwing Cappy at certain enemies with Y Button, Mario can take control of them using a method known as capturing. This is an essential mechanic used throughout the game, and replaces the traditional power-up system from before.

Unlike previous open-world Mario games, Mario only has three sections of health, similar to Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Mario also does not have any lives, but instead loses ten coins upon dying.

Cappy can also be controlled by a second player in co-op mode, based on how Co-Star Luma can be controlled by the second player in both Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Characters[]

Playable[]

Supporting[]

Non-playable characters[]

Enemies[]

New enemies[]

Returning enemies[]

Bosses[]

Broodals[]

Boss name Topper Harriet Spewart Rango
Image Topper Artwork SMO Hariet Artwork Spewart Artwork Rango Artwork
Location Cap Kingdom
Bowser's Kingdom
Dark Side
Sand Kingdom
Bowser's Kingdom
Dark Side
Wooded Kingdom
Luncheon Kingdom
Dark Side
Lake Kingdom
Snow Kingdom
Dark Side

Kingdom Bosses[]

Boss name Madame Broode Knucklotec Torkdrift Mecha Wiggler Mollusque-Lanceur Cookatiel Ruined Dragon RoboBrood Bowser
Image Madame Broode Artwork SMO Knucklotec Artwork SMO Torkdrift Artwork Mechawiggler Artwork SMO Mollosque-Lanceur Cookatiel Artwork SMO Lord of Lightning Artwork SMO Robobrood Artwork SMO Bowser Super Mario Odyssey Artwork
Location Cascade Kingdom
Moon Kingdom
Sand Kingdom
Mushroom Kingdom
Wooded Kingdom
Mushroom Kingdom
Metro Kingdom
Mushroom Kingdom
Seaside Kingdom
Mushroom Kingdom
Luncheon Kingdom
Mushroom Kingdom
Ruined Kingdom
Mushroom Kingdom
Bowser's Kingdom
Dark Side

Cloud Kingdom
Moon Kingdom

Darker Side (Playing as Bowser)

Locations[]

Wedding's Items[]

Some of the kingdoms will have a wedding item, which the Broodals are looking for in each kingdom.

Hats & Outfits[]

Various hats and outfits can be bought at Crazy Cap stores for Mario to wear throughout Super Mario Odyssey. Each store has a unique outfit for Mario to buy.

Hats[]

Outfits[]

  • Mario Suit
  • Black Tuxedo
  • Caveman Outfit
  • Poncho
  • Cowboy Outfit
  • Swimwear
  • Explorer Outfit
  • Scientist Outfit
  • Aviator Outfit
  • Builder Outfit
  • Golf Outfit
  • Snow Suit
  • Resort Outfit
  • Sailor Suit
  • Chef Suit
  • Painter Outfit
  • Samurai Armor
  • Happi Outfit
  • Mario 64 Suit
  • Employee Uniform
  • Boxer Shorts
  • Fashionable Outfit
  • Mechanic Outfit
  • Black Suit
  • Pirate Outfit
  • Clown Suit
  • Football Uniform
  • Classic Suit
  • Luigi Suit
  • Doctor Outfit
  • Waluigi Suit
  • Diddy Kong Suit
  • Wario Suit
  • Hakama
  • Bowser's Tuxedo
  • Mario's Tuxedo
  • King's Outfit
  • Conductor Outfit
  • Zombie Outfit
  • Sunshine Outfit (DLC)
  • Knight Outfit (DLC)
  • Musician Outfit (DLC)
  • Satellaview Suit (DLC)
  • Baseball Uniform (DLC)

amiibo[]

Super Mario Odyssey is confirmed to be compatible with amiibo. It has three unique amiibo of Mario, Peach, and Bowser in wedding attire. These three amiibo, as well as previously released amiibo, will give Mario unique costumes.

When tapped, the Wedding Mario amiibo will give Mario temporary invincibility, the Wedding Peach amiibo will give Mario a Life-Up Heart, and the Wedding Bowser amiibo will reveal regional coin locations.

After talking to Uncle amiibo, tapping any amiibo or amiibo card will reveal the location of a Power Moon.

Development[]

Development for Super Mario Odyssey began right after Super Mario 3D World was released in late 2013. The developers wanted the game to contain the more sandbox-styled gameplay, as seen in Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario 64 DS. The developers also had several ideas for the game, and the capture ability was one of them.

As for the kingdoms, each location was based on real-world locations, like the Sand Kingdom, which contained elements from Kenta Motokura's experiences during a trip to Mexico, the Luncheon Kingdom's food aesthetics was inspired by Italy and other European countries and Bowser's kingdom, which has elements of China.

Reception[]

Super Mario Odyssey received "universal acclaim", according to the review aggregator Metacritic. As of 2022, Metacritic ranks Odyssey as the joint third highest-rated game of all-time.[1]

Andrew Webster of The Verge thought that the structure of the game lent itself well to the portable nature of the Switch, which players could play for either long sessions in order to follow the missions, or in short bursts while collecting "Power Moons", which the author compared to the "shrines", or hidden mini-dungeons, which were scattered throughout Breath of the Wild.[2] Despite the praise, Webster noted that the motion controls "felt frustratingly imprecise", preferring the accuracy of standard controls.[2] The ability for Mario to turn into his 2D Super Mario Bros. form in certain segments was compared to the puzzles featured in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds,[3][4] while VentureBeat noted the game's similarities to the Sonic the Hedgehog series.[5]

Edge praised the inventiveness of the game's new ideas and the risks Nintendo had taken to deviate from the established formula of Mario games, which they believed had paid off. They likened the game to Super Mario 64 and called it the spiritual successor that had previously not yet been achieved. The magazine also complimented the introduction of Cappy and the capturing mechanic, which they called the most versatile ability in the Mario series to date, and enjoyed how the ability allowed Nintendo to reinvent a number of their favorite gameplay activities.[6] Famitsu gave the game a score of 39/40, the same as Super Mario 64 and the highest score for a 3D Mario game since then.[7] Perfect 10/10 scores were also awarded by IGN and GameSpot, who both praised the game's originality.[8][9]

In contrast, Ian Dallas, the creator of What Remains of Edith Finch, gave Super Mario Odyssey a lukewarm review. He explained, "My problem with Super Mario Odyssey is that it's not actually satisfying to finish. This is not to say it isn't worth playing; it absolutely is. I just don't think it's worth finishing".[10] Phil Hornshaw of Digital Trends gave the game 4/5 stars, saying that "Mario's first turn on the Switch is fun, but lacks the innovation and creativity of Nintendo's best." Hornshaw also noted that the "Controls and camera can be imprecise" and "frustrating".[11]

The song "Jump Up, Super Star!" debuted at number 33 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 for the week of November 11, 2017.[12][13] In Japan, the song reached No. 1 on the Japanese iTunes Store.[14][15][16][17] On the US iTunes Store, the song debuted at 25 in the "All Genres" category.[18][19] Kate Higgins performed "Jump Up, Super Star!" live at The Game Awards 2017 ceremony.[20][21][22]

Fan Reception[]

WatchMojo ranked Super Mario Odyssey as the third best Super Mario game in their "Top 10 Mario Games of All Time" list countdown (following behind Super Mario 64 (#2), & Super Mario Bros. 3 (#1)) & also at the #3 spot in their "Every 3D Super Mario Game Ranked" video over on MojoPlays (following behind Super Mario 64 (#2), & Super Mario Galaxy 2 (#1)).[23][24]

Gallery[]

Hat mario To view Super Mario Odyssey's
image gallery, click here.


Trivia[]

  • Super Mario Odyssey is the first Mario platformer of several things:
    • The first Mario platformer since Super Mario 64 DS (Super Mario Sunshine if not counting remakes) to contain sandbox-styled levels[25], as well as no power-ups, as the power-up system has been replaced with the new Capture mechanic.
    • The first Mario platformer to receive a 7+ rating by PEGI and an Everyone +10 by ESRB.
    • The first Mario platformer not to feature Bob-ombs or Boos as enemies, since their debuts.
    • The first Mario platformer not to feature any lives as well as 1-Up Mushrooms and Game Overs. It is also the first Mario platformer to not feature any type of mushroom.
  • Super Mario Odyssey is the third Mario game released for the Nintendo Switch, following Mario Kart 8 Deluxe & Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
  • At 26.44 million copies, Super Mario Odyssey is currently the 2nd Best-Selling Mario game on the Nintendo Switch, right behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (55.46 million), which is also currently the best selling game on the Switch overall.

Navigation[]

  1. "Super Mario Odyssey for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Webster, Andrew (June 13, 2017). "Super Mario Odyssey is big, complex, and surprisingly hard". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  3. Donlan, Christian (June 14, 2017). "Nintendo consolidates an already special year". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  4. Martin, Liam (June 20, 2017). "Super Mario Odyssey NEWS: Classic NES secrets REVEALED for Nintendo Switch". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  5. Grubb, Jeff; Minotti, Mike (June 19, 2017). "Super Mario Odyssey is a Sonic the Hedgehog clone". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  6. "Play • Super Mario Odyssey". Edge. No. 312. Future plc. October 12, 2017. pp. 98–100. ISSN 1350-1593.
  7. Martin, Liam (October 19, 2017). "Super Mario Odyssey Nintendo Switch REVIEW: New verdict in – and it's NOT a perfect score". Daily Express. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  8. McCaffrey, Ryan (October 26, 2017). "Super Mario Odyssey Review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  9. Brown, Peter (October 26, 2017). "Super Mario Odyssey Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  10. Dallas, Ian (January 8, 2018). "Super Mario Odyssey is fun to learn and pointless to master". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  11. Hornshaw, Phil (October 31, 2017). "'Super Mario Odyssey' doesn't need to reinvent the wheel to keep you hooked". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  12. "Kate Davis". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  13. "Japan Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  14. "Super Mario Odyssey : Jump Up, Super Star! casse les charts US et japonais < News < Puissance Nintendo". www.p-nintendo.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020. Et le Japon n'est pas en reste car le titre est numéro 1 sur l'archipel. Une belle réussite commerciale, ce qui est relativement rare pour une bande-son issue d'un jeu vidéo à cette échelle.
  15. ""Jump Up, Super Star" Is #1 on iTunes in Japan. Climbing Up Charts In America". Switching Worlds. October 21, 2017. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  16. "『マリオオデッセイ』主題歌が iTunes Storeで1位に!Mステ出場もありえる!?". switchsoku.com (in Japanese). October 21, 2017. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  17. "Super Mario Odyssey's Jump Up, Super Star! Tops The Music Charts In Japan". NintendoSoup. October 21, 2017. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020. Super Mario Odyssey's vocal track, Jump Up, Super Star!, has reached No. 1 on the iTunes charts in Japan.
  18. ""Jump Up, Super Star" Is #1 on iTunes in Japan. Climbing Up Charts In America". Switching Worlds. October 21, 2017. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  19. "Super Mario Odyssey's Theme, "Jump Up, Super Star!" Breaks into the iTunes Top 25". Twinfinite. October 21, 2017. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2020. The catchy track, which sells for $1.29, has actually managed to break into the All Genre Top 25!
  20. Henderson, Jeremy (July 16, 2018). "Meet Kate Higgins, the Auburn grad who's in your house". al. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2020. What with that Auburn jazz degree, it was right up Kate's alley. She nailed it. Nintendo actually asked her to perform the song live at the 2017 Game Awards show last December in front of an army of fans in Mario hats.
  21. Frank, Allegra (December 8, 2017). "The 7 most memorable moments of The Game Awards 2017". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2020. The best musical moment, though? A full performance of "Jump Up, Super Star," the amazing theme song to Super Mario Odyssey.
  22. "Super Mario Odyssey Has Sold Over 10 Million Units Worldwide, Making It Best-Selling Switch Game". TheGamer. April 26, 2018. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2020. 'Jump Up, Super Star!' was even performed by Kate Higgins, the song's English singer, at the 2017 Game Awards
  23. Richardson, T. (2019, May 21). Top 10 Mario Games of All Time. WatchMojo.
  24. MojoPlays (WatchMojo). (2019). Every 3D Super Mario Game Ranked. YouTube. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  25. Figure created by Nintendo to convey the design philosophy behind the 3D Super Mario games (2017).
Advertisement