Honestly, it’s been nearly a decade since we first saw Mario hurl a sentient hat at a Frog, and the Mario Odyssey game Nintendo Switch owners fell in love with still feels like it was released yesterday. That’s the thing about Nintendo at its peak. They don’t just make games; they create these weird, polished, hyper-kinetic playgrounds that refuse to age. While other developers were chasing hyper-realism or "gritty" reboots, Kenta Motokura and his team at Nintendo EPD decided to let a plumber possess a T-Rex.
It was a bold move.
Coming off the heels of the Wii U’s relative failure, the Switch needed a mascot win that wasn't just another 2D side-scroller. We got Odyssey. It’s a game that fundamentally changed how we think about movement in 3D space. If you’ve spent any time in the Sand Kingdom, you know what I’m talking about. The sheer flow of it—triple jumping into a dive, bouncing off Cappy, and then pulling off a mid-air spin—is basically digital jazz.
The Cappy Mechanic Was a Massive Gamble
Think about the core of Mario. Since 1985, it’s been about jumping. You jump on Goombas, you jump over pits, you jump to hit blocks. Then, suddenly, the Mario Odyssey game Nintendo Switch library was defined by a hat. Cappy isn’t just a gimmick; he’s a total rewrite of the internal logic of the series. By allowing Mario to "Capture" (Nintendo is very careful not to say "possess," though let's be real, that's what it is) enemies, the developers effectively gave players dozens of different movesets within a single game.
One minute you’re a Bullet Bill soaring across a gap. The next, you’re a Gushen, using water jets to hover over lava in the Seaside Kingdom. It’s chaotic. It shouldn't work as well as it does. But the genius lies in the controls. Every single captured creature feels distinct, yet they all share that snappy, responsive Nintendo DNA.
I remember the first time I captured a Spark Pylon. Just zipping through a wire as a ball of electricity felt... right. It stripped away the friction of travel. Most open-world games struggle with "the trek"—that boring five minutes between objective A and objective B. In Odyssey, the trek is the game.
Kingdoms That Defy Traditional Level Design
Most platformers follow a theme. You have the fire level, the ice level, the forest level. Odyssey has those, sure, but it throws in New Donk City. Seeing a cartoonish, short-statured Mario run around next to semi-realistic humans in suits was jarring at first. People hated it in the trailers. They thought it looked like a weird fan mod.
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But then you play it.
New Donk City is a masterclass in verticality. It’s not just a city; it’s a massive jungle gym. You’re climbing skyscrapers, jumping off taxis, and hunting for Power Moons in the most obscure corners of the map. It’s the "Metropolitan Kingdom," and it serves as the emotional heart of the game, especially during that festival sequence with Pauline. If you didn't get chills when Jump Up, Super Star! started playing, you might be a robot.
The game doesn't hold your hand. It trusts you. There are 880 unique Power Moons to find (technically 999 if you buy them from the shop), and while you only need a fraction of those to "beat" the game, the real Mario Odyssey game Nintendo Switch experience is the post-game. That’s where things get weird. The Mushroom Kingdom unlock is a nostalgic gut-punch that rewards long-time fans without feeling like cheap fanservice.
Why the Moon Count Actually Matters
Some critics argued there are "too many" moons. They say it devalues the reward. I disagree.
In Super Mario 64, getting a star was a major, multi-minute event. In Odyssey, a moon can be rewarded for something as simple as sitting on a bench with an NPC or ground-pounding a glowing spot in the dirt. This creates a constant drip-feed of dopamine. It’s perfect for the Switch’s handheld mode. If you have five minutes on a bus, you can find two moons. If you have five hours on a rainy Sunday, you can tackle the Darker Side of the Moon.
It scales to your life.
Let’s Talk About the Speedrunning Scene
You can’t discuss this game without acknowledging the absolute lunacy of the speedrunning community. Because the movement is so fluid, players have found ways to bypass entire sections of the game. Vectoring, roll-canceling, and precise Cappy jumps allow runners to beat the game in under an hour.
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This isn't an accident. Nintendo built these shortcuts in. Look at the placement of certain platforms or the height of certain walls—they are clearly designed to be "breakable" by high-level players. It’s a game with a low floor and a ceiling that’s somewhere in the stratosphere.
Technical Wizardry on "Old" Hardware
The Switch wasn't a powerhouse even in 2017. Yet, the Mario Odyssey game Nintendo Switch performance remains a gold standard. It runs at a locked 60 frames per second in both docked and handheld modes. To achieve this, Nintendo used some clever tricks. If you look closely at NPCs in the distance, their animation frame rate drops significantly. Some objects transition from 2D sprites to 3D models as you get closer.
Does it matter? Not really. When you’re mid-flip, the game looks gorgeous. The art direction carries the weight that the raw horsepower can't. The textures on Mario’s various outfits—from the stitching on the wedding suit to the fur on the prehistoric caveman garb—are surprisingly detailed.
Misconceptions and What People Miss
A lot of people think Odyssey is "too easy." I’ve heard this a thousand times. "I finished the story in eight hours," they say.
Sure. If you just rush the bosses, it's a breeze.
But the "story" is basically the tutorial. The real game starts when the credits roll. The boss rematches, the specialized challenge rooms that strip Cappy away from you (reminiscent of the FLUDD-less levels in Sunshine), and the brutal platforming gauntlets are where the difficulty hides. If you haven't finished the "Long Journey's End" on the Darker Side, you haven't actually seen what the game expects of you.
Another weird misconception is that it’s a "sequel" to Galaxy. It’s not. Galaxy was linear. It was a "course-clear" game. Odyssey is a "sandbox" game, a direct descendant of Mario 64 and Sunshine. It’s about exploration, not just reaching a flagpole.
How to Get the Most Out of the Game Today
If you’re picking it up for the first time or jumping back in for a 100% run, stop using the Pro Controller for a second. I know, it’s the better controller. But Odyssey was built with split Joy-Cons in mind. Certain motions, like the upward cap throw or the homing attack, are significantly easier with motion controls. You don't need them, but the game feels more tactile when you use them.
Also, ignore the "main path" for as long as possible. The game wants you to get lost. If you see a weird pipe or a suspicious-looking bird, go chase it. The reward isn't usually the moon itself; it's the "Aha!" moment when you realize the developers anticipated your curiosity.
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Essential Tips for Modern Players
- Master the Roll: Rolling is faster than running. If you shake the controller while rolling, you go even faster. It’s essential for the Koopa Freerunning races.
- Talk to Talkatoo: If you’re stuck, the bird in every kingdom gives you the names of three moons. The names are usually clues.
- Check the Art: Hint Art found on walls often points to moons in completely different kingdoms. Take a screenshot with your Switch and refer back to it.
- Don't ignore the shops: The regional coins (the purple ones) are finite. Each kingdom has a set amount. Use them to buy the local outfit first, as many moons are locked behind "wearing the right clothes" to enter certain areas.
The Legacy of the Odyssey
We’re still waiting for a direct sequel. Bowser’s Fury gave us a taste of what a fully seamless, open-world Mario could look like, but it lacked the sheer variety of Odyssey’s kingdoms. Odyssey remains the peak of the 3D sandbox era. It’s a celebration of Mario’s history, featuring 2D "8-bit" segments that wrap around 3D geometry—a visual metaphor for how Nintendo blends its past with its future.
It’s a joyful game. That sounds cheesy, but it’s true. In a sea of live-service titles and battle passes, a complete, self-contained masterpiece like this feels rare.
Next Steps for Players:
To truly master the game, start by learning the Cappy Jump combo: Jump, throw Cappy (Y), dive (ZL + Y), and hold Y to bounce off the hat. This single move opens up 30% more of the map that you previously thought was unreachable. Once you’ve nailed that, head back to the Sand Kingdom and try to find all the hidden 2D mural sections—they contain some of the best sub-challenges in the game. If you've already beaten the main story, your next goal is to hit 500 Moons to unlock the final, most difficult level in the game. No shortcuts, just pure platforming skill.