I remember the first time I threw the hat. It sounds stupid, right? Just a little red cap with eyes named Cappy. But that single mechanic changed everything we knew about 3D platformers. When Mario Odyssey Nintendo Switch launched back in 2017, the hype was absolutely suffocating, yet somehow, the game managed to hurdle over every single expectation. It didn't just iterate on the Super Mario 64 or Sunshine formula; it basically took the blueprints, shredded them, and turned the scraps into a sandbox masterpiece that people are still speedrunning and dissecting in 2026.
It’s a masterpiece. Seriously.
But why are we still talking about it? Most games have a shelf life of about six months before they're relegated to the "backlog" pile. Not this one. Whether you're a parent looking for something for a kid or a hardcore completionist trying to find that one specific moon in the Mushroom Kingdom, there is a weird, kinetic energy in this game that just doesn't fade.
The Cappy Mechanic and Why It Broke the Rules
Let's talk about the capture system. It’s the soul of the game. Instead of just jumping on enemies, you possess them. Think about that for a second. Nintendo took their most iconic mascot and said, "What if he wasn't himself for 40% of the game?" You aren't just Mario; you're a T-Rex. You're a Goomba stack. You're a literal bolt of electricity or a manhole cover.
✨ Don't miss: Hello Neighbor Meme MatPat: Why The Internet Won’t Let This Beef Die
This shifted the gameplay from "get from point A to point B" to "how can I use this creature's physics to break the world?"
Koichi Hayashida and Kenta Motokura, the directors behind this project, clearly wanted to evoke a sense of "toybox" play. You can feel it in the controls. The movement is buttery. You’ve got the long jump, the dive, the triple jump, and the roll. Honestly, the roll is underrated. You can traverse the Sand Kingdom in seconds if you time your button presses right. It’s that level of polish that makes the Mario Odyssey Nintendo Switch experience feel premium even compared to modern PS5 or Xbox Series X titles.
There’s no lag. No filler. Just pure, unadulterated movement.
More Than Just a Collect-a-thon
A lot of people complain that there are too many Power Moons. There are 880 unique moons (and you can buy more to reach 999). Some people think it devalues the reward. I disagree. The sheer volume of moons means that the game is constantly rewarding your curiosity. See a weird bird? Hit it with a hat. Moon. Notice a suspicious glow in the dirt? Ground pound it. Moon. It turns the entire world into a giant "what if?" session.
It’s not like Banjo-Kazooie where every collectible feels like a chore. In Odyssey, the collectibles are the breadcrumbs leading you to the next cool interaction.
Those "Weird" Kingdoms Actually Work
New Donk City was a massive risk. Putting a cartoonish, short Italian plumber next to semi-realistic human beings in suits? It looked like a fever dream when the first trailer dropped. But standing on top of the Mayor’s hall while "Jump Up, Super Star!" blasts in the background is probably one of the top five moments in Nintendo history. It’s surreal. It’s joyful. It’s kinda bizarre.
But then you go to the Luncheon Kingdom. Everything is made of food. The lava is pink soup. The "rocks" are pieces of meat. This variety keeps the brain from getting bored. Most games pick a "theme" and stick to it for twenty hours. Mario Odyssey Nintendo Switch changes its entire visual language every two hours.
- The Ruined Kingdom feels like Dark Souls for five minutes.
- The Seaside Kingdom is a relaxing vacation with a giant octopus.
- The Bowser’s Kingdom level design is a genius take on Japanese architecture rather than the standard lava castle.
It’s this constant pivot that keeps the game fresh. You never know what’s around the corner, even on a second or third playthrough.
Technical Wizardry on "Old" Hardware
We have to acknowledge that the Switch isn't a powerhouse. Even in the current landscape, the hardware is aging. Yet, Odyssey runs at a locked 60 frames per second. That is a massive technical achievement. Nintendo’s engineers used a dynamic resolution scaling system to ensure that the inputs never feel heavy.
When you’re playing a platformer, frame data is everything. If there’s a delay between you pressing 'A' and Mario leaving the ground, the magic dies. This game has zero latency. It’s why the speedrunning community is still so active. People are finding ways to skip entire sections of the Wooded Kingdom by chaining Cappy tosses and dives in ways the developers probably never intended—or maybe they did. That’s the beauty of it. The "intended" path is just a suggestion.
💡 You might also like: Destiny 2 Heresy Act 2 Is Finally Here and the Hive Lore Is Getting Weird
The Difficulty Curve
Is it too easy? If you just want to beat the "story," yeah, it’s pretty forgiving. Bowser isn't exactly a wall. But the post-game? The Dark Side and Darker Side of the Moon? Those will make you want to throw your Pro Controller out the window.
The "Long Journey's End" level is a brutal gauntlet that tests every single mechanic you've learned. No checkpoints. Just you and your skills. It’s a perfect way to satisfy both the 6-year-old playing their first game and the 30-year-old who grew up on Lost Levels.
The Legacy of Mario Odyssey Nintendo Switch
We’ve seen Bowser’s Fury since then, which took the open-world concept even further. But Odyssey remains the gold standard for "Sandwich" gaming—you can hop in for five minutes, grab two moons, and feel like you accomplished something, or you can sink five hours into perfecting a jump.
It also pioneered a specific kind of nostalgia. The 2D segments where Mario enters a wall and becomes an 8-bit sprite are more than just fanservice. They are seamless transitions that blend the past with the future. It reminds you why you liked video games in the first place. No microtransactions. No "battle pass." No "always-online" requirements. Just a plumber, a hat, and a giant flying ship.
Honestly, if you own a Switch and don't have this, you're missing the point of the console. It is the definitive showcase of what Nintendo does best: taking a simple idea and polishing it until it shines like a... well, like a Power Moon.
👉 See also: Bones Game Evolution: Why the Dice Just Feel Different Now
Pro Tips for Your Next Run
If you’re diving back in or starting for the first time, don’t just follow the arrows. The game is designed to be broken.
- Master the Cappy Jump: Throw your hat, hold the button, and dive into it. It gives you a massive horizontal boost. You can reach platforms that look impossible.
- Talk to the NPCs: Often, they give hints that aren't just fluff. The Talkatoo bird is your best friend for finding those last few moons in a kingdom.
- Check the Amiibos: You don't need them, but tapping a Mario, Peach, or Bowser figure can give you some cool costumes or even help you find moon locations.
- Use Snapshot Mode: Seriously. The filters and camera angles are incredible. It was one of the first "Photo Modes" that actually felt fun to use.
The best way to play is to simply get lost. Forget the objective. Run toward the thing that looks interesting. Nine times out of ten, the developers hid a secret there just for you.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your Moon List: If you haven't hit 500 moons, you haven't seen the "real" final challenge. Head back to the Odyssey and deposit those collectibles.
- Try Motion Controls: While many prefer the Pro Controller, certain moves (like the upward hat throw or the homing attack) are actually easier with separated Joy-Cons.
- Visit the Mushroom Kingdom: If you haven't finished the main story, do it. The post-game kingdom is a massive tribute to Mario 64 that you cannot miss.
- Look for Hint Art: These are static images found on walls throughout the world. They point to moons in different kingdoms. It's a great meta-puzzle that forces you to remember the geography of the whole game.