You’ve just landed the Odyssey in the Sand Kingdom. The heat is shimmering off the dunes, and your eyes immediately lock onto those floating purple pyramids hovering near a cactus. You grab them. Then you see three more tucked behind a stone pillar. Before you know it, you’ve spent forty-five minutes ignoring the main quest entirely because you just have to see what that shop in Tostarena is selling. Mario Odyssey purple coins—officially known as Regional Coins—are the secret sauce that makes Nintendo’s 2017 masterpiece feel so much more alive than a standard platformer.
They aren't just filler. Unlike the thousands of yellow coins that basically act as a life insurance policy, these purple beauties are finite. There are exactly 50 or 100 in each kingdom. No more, no less. That scarcity changes everything about how you play.
What Most People Get Wrong About Regional Coins
A lot of players treat Mario Odyssey purple coins like the Blue Coins from Super Mario Sunshine. They remember the frustration of hunting down 240 identical blue tokens with zero in-game tracking. It was a nightmare. But Nintendo learned. In Odyssey, the purple coins are tied directly to the identity of the world you’re in. In the Wooded Kingdom, they look like nuts and bolts. In the Luncheon Kingdom, they’re little salt shakers.
This isn't just a cosmetic choice. It’s a genius bit of psychological trickery.
By making the currency kingdom-specific, the developers force you to actually look at the environment. You aren't just running toward a glowing objective marker. You're scanning the underside of bridges in New Donk City or checking the freezing water in the Snow Kingdom. If you find a set of three coins hidden behind a 2D mural, you feel like a detective, not a checklist-filler.
Honestly, the most misunderstood part of these coins is their "difficulty." Some players think they’re meant to be found during your first pass through a kingdom. They aren’t. Many are tucked away in areas that require Cappy captures you haven't even mastered yet. If you're stressing because you're at 47/50 in the Lost Kingdom, just breathe. You’ll probably find the last three when you're returning later to hunt for Power Moons.
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Spending Your Hard-Earned Regional Stash
What’s the point of collecting them? The Crazy Cap shop.
Each kingdom has its own dedicated storefront where your standard yellow coins are basically worthless for the high-end stuff. You need those regional coins for two specific things: Souvenirs and Outfits.
The outfits are more than just eye candy. Sure, seeing Mario in a tuxedo or a caveman suit is funny, but some NPCs won't even talk to you unless you're dressed for the occasion. Remember that locked door in the Sand Kingdom? You aren't getting in without the Poncho and Sombrero. That'll cost you purple coins.
The Souvenir Addiction
The souvenirs are where the real "completionist" itch gets scratched. Every time you buy a miniature scale model of the inverted pyramid or a sticker for the side of the Odyssey, it feels like a genuine vacation memory. By the end of the game, the interior of your ship looks like a cluttered, lived-in trophy room. It’s a visual representation of your journey.
If you skip the Mario Odyssey purple coins, your ship stays empty and sterile. It feels wrong.
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Tracking Them Down Without Losing Your Mind
If you’re stuck, there are a few "expert" ways to find the stragglers. First off, talk to Uncle amiibo or use the Bowser amiibo. It’s not cheating; it’s a built-in mechanic. The Bowser amiibo is particularly broken—it shows you the location of regional coins on screen.
But if you want to do it purely, listen for the sound. There’s a distinct "twingle" when you’re near them. Also, check the 8-bit sections. Nintendo loves hiding three or four coins at the very top of a 2D segment where the camera almost cuts off.
Common Hiding Spots People Miss:
- Under the Odyssey: Seriously, check behind or under your ship as soon as you land. The developers are trolls.
- The Edge of the World: Walk to the literal edge of the map and rotate your camera. They love sticking them on tiny ledges just out of sight.
- High-Altitude Clouds: In the Cap Kingdom, some are hidden in the fog. You have to jump blindly or use a Paragoomba to see them.
- Behind the Waterfall: It's the oldest trope in gaming, and Odyssey uses it constantly.
Why The "Grind" Isn't Actually A Grind
In most open-world games, collecting 1,000 items is a chore. It’s a "Ubisoft tower" problem. But in Odyssey, the movement is so fluid that hunting for coins is just an excuse to play with the mechanics. Long jumping, hat-climbing, and diving feel so good that you don't mind spending ten minutes trying to reach a high platform in the Seaside Kingdom just for three purple shells.
The total count across the game is 1,000 coins.
- Cap Kingdom: 50
- Cascade Kingdom: 50
- Sand Kingdom: 100
- Wooded Kingdom: 100
- Lake Kingdom: 50
- Lost Kingdom: 50
- Metro Kingdom: 100
- Snow Kingdom: 50
- Seaside Kingdom: 100
- Luncheon Kingdom: 100
- Bowser’s Kingdom: 100
- Moon Kingdom: 50
Note that the smaller kingdoms, like the Ruined Kingdom or the Cloud Kingdom, don't have them. This keeps the pacing tight. You get a break from the hunt during boss-heavy areas.
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The Economy of the Post-Game
Once you beat the main story, the value of Mario Odyssey purple coins spikes. You’ll want to unlock every single suit for the sake of the wardrobe achievements. But there's a limit. Unlike yellow coins, which you can farm infinitely by playing the Luigi's Balloon World DLC or repeating bonus stages, purple coins are "one and done." Once you pick it up, it turns into a transparent ghost coin.
This means you can't "farm" them. You have to explore. You have to be curious.
This is why Mario Odyssey remains a gold standard for 3D platformers even years after its release. It respects your time by giving you a clear goal. When you see 100/100 on that kingdom map, you know you’ve truly mastered that corner of the world.
Actionable Steps for Completionists
If you are looking to sweep the map and finally clear out the Crazy Cap shops, follow this workflow:
- Clear the Boss First: Don't bother hunting every coin while the kingdom is in its "distressed" state (like the frozen Sand Kingdom). Clearing the boss often opens up new paths or removes obstacles (like ice or sludge) that make coin hunting much easier.
- The Bird is the Word: Look for Talkatoo. While he usually points to Power Moons, finding Moons often leads you directly into the path of hidden coins.
- First-Person Camera: Frequently click the Right Stick to enter first-person mode. Sweep the horizons. You will see those purple glows from a mile away.
- Use Captured Enemies: Many coins are positioned such that only a specific capture can reach them. If you see a Gushen (the water-jet octopus) in the Seaside Kingdom, follow the trails of coins that lead vertically into the sky.
- Check the "Bonus Rooms": Almost every hat-door challenge (the ones with a Power Moon at the end) contains a hidden set of purple coins. Usually, they are placed in a way that requires you to take a "dangerous" path rather than the safe one to the exit.
Stop looking at the coins as a currency and start looking at them as breadcrumbs. They are Nintendo’s way of saying, "Hey, look over here, we built something cool in this corner." Follow the purple trail, buy the goofy hats, and deck out your ship. It's the most rewarding part of the game.