You're running through Shiveria, freezing, wondering how on earth you're supposed to find every single Power Moon in Super Mario Odyssey. It’s a grind. Sometimes it's a fun grind, and sometimes it's just plain confusing. If you’re looking for Snow Kingdom Moon 23, you aren't alone in your frustration. It has a specific name: "Snow Mountain Vertical Dash." It sounds intense. Honestly, it kind of is if your platforming skills are a little rusty or if you’re just trying to rush through the game to get to that sweet 100% completion mark.
Most people think the Snow Kingdom is just a big, empty bowl of ice. They're wrong. There’s a whole internal structure to Shiveria that opens up once you deal with the local wind problem. You have to go underground. That’s where the real challenge starts. Moon 23 isn't just sitting out in the open waiting for a casual stroll. You have to work for it.
Where is Snow Kingdom Moon 23 hiding?
First off, let’s get the location straight. You aren't looking for this on the surface near the Odyssey. You need to head into the Shiveria Town well. Once you’re in the main hub where all the cute little seal-like Shiverians are hanging out, you need to look for the four paths leading out of the central room.
The path you want is the one leading to the Snow Mountain. It’s usually one of the first ones you tackle during the main story, but the Moon 23 challenge is a bit different from the standard run-through. Basically, you’re looking for a sub-area.
You’ve got to use the flowers. You know the ones—the Triple Jump Flowers that give Mario that temporary speed boost and a trail of white light behind his heels. This moon is all about momentum. If you stop moving, you lose. It’s a vertical climb, and the game expects you to be precise.
The Mechanics of the Vertical Dash
The "Vertical Dash" part of the name isn't just flavor text. You are literally dashing up a wall.
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- Grab the first flower.
- Don't stop.
- Aim for the next flower immediately.
If you miss a single flower, you’re likely going to tumble back down to the bottom. It's annoying. It’s repetitive if you fail. But when you nail the timing, it feels incredible. You’re basically defying gravity. The trick most people miss is that you don't actually need to mash the buttons. You just need to steer. Mario does the running; you just provide the direction.
Why this Moon is a bottleneck for completionists
Nintendo loves to hide things in plain sight. Snow Kingdom Moon 23 is a prime example of a "skill check." The game is testing whether you've actually mastered the flower mechanic or if you just got lucky during the boss fights.
A lot of players get stuck here because they try to jump too much. Don't jump. Just run. The flowers provide enough lift to carry you up the slopes. If you try to take manual control of the verticality by jumping, you often break the "dash" state, and Mario returns to his normal, much slower speed. That’s a death sentence for this specific Moon run.
I've seen people spend twenty minutes on this one section. It’s not that the section is long—it’s actually very short—it’s just that the margin for error is thin. You have to be okay with failing a few times to get the rhythm down.
Real Talk: The Shiveria Atmosphere
Shiveria is one of the more polarizing kingdoms in Super Mario Odyssey. Some people love the cozy, subterranean town vibes. Others hate the slippery physics and the blinding white out on the surface. But the internal challenges, like the one for Moon 23, are where the level design really shines. It’s tight. It’s focused. It feels like a classic 3D platformer challenge ripped straight out of the Galaxy era.
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Technical Tips for Nailing the Dash
If you're struggling, check your camera angle. Seriously. A lot of the time, the reason people miss the next flower in the sequence is because the camera is panned too low. You want to see where you're going, not where you've been. Tilt that right stick up.
Also, consider your controller. If you're playing in handheld mode with Joy-Cons, the drift or the small sticks might make the precision steering a bit of a nightmare. Switching to a Pro Controller can genuinely make Snow Kingdom Moon 23 feel 50% easier. It’s all about those micro-adjustments in your thumb movement.
- Enter the Snow Mountain path from Shiveria Town.
- Clear the initial enemies so they don't knock you off your path.
- Hit the first flower and stay centered on the ramp.
- Look for the sparkle. That’s your target.
- Grab the moon at the peak of the climb.
It sounds simple when you read it. It's a bit more chaotic when the music is pumping and you're staring at a steep icy wall.
The Reward Beyond the Moon
Collecting Moon 23 isn't just about the number. It’s about the access. To get to the "Dark Side" and "Darker Side" of the moon later in the game, you need a massive cache of Power Moons. Every single one in the Snow Kingdom counts. Plus, there's a certain satisfaction in clearing out Shiveria. It’s a harsh environment. Leaving it with every moon in your pocket feels like a badge of honor.
Some players argue that the Snow Kingdom is "filler" compared to Metro Kingdom or Sand Kingdom. I disagree. The density of challenges in the sub-areas—like the one housing Snow Kingdom Moon 23—shows that the developers put a lot of thought into how Mario moves through vertical space.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't use Cappy unnecessarily. While Cappy is your best friend in 99% of the game, throwing him during a flower dash can actually slow you down or change your trajectory in a way that ruins the run. Keep your hat on your head for this one.
Another thing: watch the ice. Even though the dash makes you move fast, the physics of the Snow Kingdom are still "slippery." If you let go of the stick, you’re going to slide. You have to commit to the direction.
Actionable Steps for your 100% Run
If you're sitting there with 22 moons and staring at an empty slot in your list, here is exactly what to do.
First, warp to the Shiveria Town entrance. Head down the hole. Take the path that leads to the Snow Mountain (it’s the one with the ice elevators and the vertical climbs). If you’ve already beaten the boss here, the area will be quiet, making it much easier to focus. Locate the flower-dash segment.
Before you start the dash, take a breath. Position Mario directly in front of the first flower. Do not approach it from an angle. Line yourself up so you are facing the wall perfectly. Hit the flower and push forward. If you feel yourself veering off to the side, make tiny, tiny corrections. When you reach the top, the Moon will be right there in a small alcove or at the end of the path.
Next Steps for Completionists:
- After grabbing Moon 23, check the map for Moon 24 ("Snow Mountainbound"). They are geographically close and often missed together.
- Use the Talkatoo in Shiveria Town if you get stuck on the names; he’ll give you the hint for "Snow Mountain Vertical Dash" if you haven't triggered it yet.
- Ensure you have enough coins for the Shiverian regional outfits, as some moons are locked behind what Mario is wearing.
Getting through the Snow Kingdom is a test of patience. Moon 23 is just one piece of the puzzle, but it’s a piece that proves you know how to handle Mario at high speeds. Once you've got it, the rest of the kingdom starts to fall into place much faster.