Nintendo’s iconic plumber is coming to the Nintendo Switch in ‘Super Mario Odyssey.’ Here’s everything we know so far.
Update: After E3 2017, we added a wealth of new details about Super Mario Odyssey.
Fans of open-world Super Mario games have been waiting for the plumber’s next foray into a sandbox-style world since 2002’s Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube. After years filled with traditional Mario side-scrollers, we won’ t have to wait much longer for the spiritual successor to 3D Mario games like Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario 64. At E3 2017, Nintendo announced that Super Mario Odyssey launches on October 27 for the Nintendo Switch.
If you’ re as excited about Mario’s latest adventure as we are, we will be updating news, rumors, and everything we know about Super Mario Odyssey right here.
In the initial reveal trailer shown at the Nintendo Switch event in January, we learned Mario now hops in and out of his world and ours.
Mario pops out from under a manhole and jumps across a fictional version of New York City called “New Donk City, ” which is filled with many recognizable city staples. There’s people in work attire walking along sidewalks and across intersections, taxicabs in every direction, and tall buildings guarding the commercialized area. A plethora of signs and lampposts surround the busy streets, some of which model their real-life counterparts, while others look like question blocks transplanted from the Mushroom Kingdom. If the perplexed stare from the suited man in the trailer is any indication, Mario’s interactions with regular-looking humans may be minimal, but he does talk to some people — in the trailer, he and a pair of women skip some rope.
You won’ t spend all of your time exploring New Donk City. In the reveal, Mario hops aboard an airship, suggesting players will be traveling great distances to reach the game’s other locales. Airships have been part of the franchise since Super Mario Bros. 3, but they have almost always been used by Bowser and his minions. This time, Mario has his own airship. The appropriately painted red-and-white ship is equipped with three propellers on the bottom and a large sail above its dock. On the ship floor, there’s an “M flag” — popularized in recent Mario titles as the symbol for a level checkpoint — and a globe. The globe presumably serves as the world hub for players to select there next destination, but it’s unclear if players will be able to control the ship, or if they will merely press a button to jet off to a new area.
So far, Nintendo has shown a number of diverse environments for players to visit, many of which were touched upon in the E3 2017 presentation. The first, a desert town with “Day of the Dead” vibes looks like something out of Super Mario Sunshine. Elastic bands run between and above houses, and even the creatures inhabiting the town hark back to the GameCube classic.
Next, there’s a dark woodland environment called Wooded Kingdom, which is occupied by a bunch of robots. The robots constantly spin in place with one hand in the air because Bowser has stolen their flowers. The robots are friends, not enemies — Mario is seen dancing with one of them next to a boom box later on. The wooded area contains enormous trees, and what appears to be an invisible, flower-covered path that stretches as Mario runs across it. The area has a few small reservoirs, and in one of them, we see the classic green pipe jutting out from its depths.
There’s a spooky looking area with decaying green platforms covered partially in red. This could be a later section in the game, and given its appearance, perhaps even the entryway to Bowser’s lair. The “POW” buttons, which have been circular in recent Mario titles, are shown once again as squares in this section of the game. There’s also a curious beam of multicolored light in the distance.
Lastly, there’s a colorful area that appears to be located on a beach. The beach is covered by large fluorescent rocks and creatures with fork legs and chef hats that can be best described as vegetable-esque. In this sequence, Mario is seen carrying a turnip while chasing a rabbit, which resembles the rabbit search in the basement of Super Mario 64. The cooking-themed area also has large bowls for Mario to jump in and over.
The end of the reveal trailer features a teaser reel of additional environments. The concrete fortress shown in the initial Nintendo Switch reveal trailer makes an appearance. Bullet Bills zoom along the Super Mario 64 -esque structure. Mario can also at least ride one creature, as he hops on the back of a lion and gallops across a dark desert, which appears to be modeled after Ancient Egypt. In the Ancient Egypt section, there’s also a treasure chest, possibly containing upgrades or special abilities. We also get a look at what could be the inside of Bowser’s castle. It’s possible, but not clear, that Bowser’s fortress is located in New Donk City.
Most Super Mario games task Mario with rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser. Odyssey will follow the pattern: Bowser is in a tuxedo, and billboards for a “royal wedding” for King Koopa and Princess Peach are plastered throughout the city.
The same platforming goodness that the franchise has been known for will be at your fingertips. Along with the running, double- and triple-jumping, and sliding, Mario has at least a couple new tricks in his arsenal. Mario can perform a cannonball-sort of roll on his own, but most of his new tricks come from his sentient hat.
Cappy was originally a white top hat, but in Odyssey, the hat takes the form of Mario’s traditional red lid. Cappy can be thrown and used as a trampoline of sorts to vault across hard-to-clear gaps. Cappy can collect coins when flung, be used as a boomerang weapon, and in a circular motion as a spin attack. But Cappy’s greatest trick is that it allows Mario to temporarily “capture” characters and objects. As demonstrated in the E3 2017 trailer and Treehouse gameplay sessions, when Mario flings his hat into objects, he can inhabit them. From pedestrian and taxis, to Cheep Cheeps, Goombas and even a dinosaur, Cappy gives players the power to explore the open world in a myriad of different ways.
