You’re running through Tostarena, the sand crunching under Mario’s boots, and you see them. Three tiny, floating purple triangles tucked behind a cactus. Most players just grab them because they're there. It’s instinct. But Super Mario Odyssey purple coins aren't just filler content or a cheap way to extend playtime. They are actually a masterclass in level design that Nintendo used to guide your eyes without you even realizing it.
Think about it.
In a massive open-zone game like Odyssey, it’s easy to get lost. You could wander the Metro Kingdom for hours and miss the best platforming challenges. That is where the regional currency comes in. They are breadcrumbs. They aren't just "collectibles" in the traditional, boring sense of the word. They’re a language. When you see a trail of purple coins leading off a skyscraper in New Donk City, the game isn't just giving you money; it’s telling you, "Hey, look over here, there’s a secret jump you haven't tried yet."
Honestly, it’s kind of brilliant.
What Actually Happens When You Collect Every Regional Coin
Most people assume the goal is just to buy everything in the Crazy Cap shop. That’s true on the surface. You want the skeleton suit, the boxer shorts, and the 8-bit Mario hat. But there is a deeper layer to how Super Mario Odyssey purple coins function within the game’s economy. Unlike gold coins, which are infinite and basically serve as your "lives" (since you lose 10 every time you fall into a pit), purple coins are finite.
Each kingdom has a specific set number.
- Cap Kingdom: 50
- Cascade Kingdom: 50
- Sand Kingdom: 100
- Wooded Kingdom: 100
- Metro Kingdom: 100
There is no "farming" these. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. This creates a genuine sense of scarcity that makes the rewards feel earned. When you finally unlock that Bowser wedding outfit or the mechanical map for your ship, it feels like a trophy of exploration, not just a purchase.
💡 You might also like: Why EA Sports Cricket 07 is Still the King of the Pitch Two Decades Later
The Psychology of the "Missable" Item
Nintendo’s developers, including Director Kenta Motokura, have spoken in various interviews about the concept of "Hakoniwa" or miniature garden themes. The purple coins are designed to make you poke at the edges of that garden. If you’ve ever found yourself hanging off a ledge in the Lake Kingdom, wondering why there’s a random tunnel underwater, you’ll usually find three purple coins at the end of it.
They reward curiosity.
If you just run straight to the bosses, you might finish the game with 200 Power Moons. But you’ll have missed the soul of the game. The coins force you to look up. They force you to use Cappy in ways the main quest doesn't require. You start doing roll-jumps and hat-dives just to reach a floating coin in the Luncheon Kingdom that looks impossible to get. Suddenly, you’re not just playing a platformer; you’re learning advanced movement tech because the game dangled a purple triangle in front of your face.
The Frustration of the Final Three
We have all been there. You have 97 coins in the Seaside Kingdom. You’ve checked behind every pillar. You’ve used the binoculars to scan the entire ocean floor. You’ve even captured a Gushen and sprayed water until you hit the sky limit. But those last three coins are nowhere to be found.
This is the "Odyssey Wall."
It’s where the game stops being a fun romp and starts being a test of observation. Often, those last few coins are hidden using "camera tricks." Nintendo loves to hide things just behind the lip of a cliff where the default camera angle won't show them. You have to manually swing the right stick to see the little alcove tucked under the starting platform.
📖 Related: Walkthrough Final Fantasy X-2: How to Actually Get That 100% Completion
It’s sneaky. It’s almost mean. But it works.
Why Some Kingdoms Feel Harder Than Others
The difficulty of finding Super Mario Odyssey purple coins isn't uniform. The Wooded Kingdom is notoriously difficult because of its verticality and the "Deep Woods" area. If you fall off the map, you don't die; you land in a dark, dinosaur-infested forest. There are coins down there. There are coins hidden in the nuts you have to break with a Sherm tank.
Contrast that with the Cascade Kingdom. It’s small. It’s a circle. You can find all 50 coins in about ten minutes if you know where to look. The scaling is intentional. The game starts by giving you easy wins to get you hooked on the "clink" sound of the regional currency, then it hides them inside 2D 8-bit wall sections in the Bowser Kingdom where you have to dodge fire bars just to grab one.
The Role of the Amiibo
If you’re genuinely stuck, you can use the Uncle Amiibo robot. If you scan a Bowser Amiibo, it actually highlights the locations of regional coins on your screen. Some purists think this is cheating. Honestly? If you’ve been staring at the same patch of sand for forty minutes, just scan the toy. Life is short.
The game also allows you to talk to Toad hints, but they usually focus on Power Moons. The purple coins are the "pure" exploration metric. They are the only thing in the game that truly proves you have seen every square inch of a kingdom’s geometry.
Real Talk: Are the Rewards Worth It?
Is it worth spending three hours finding a coin just to buy a sticker for your ship?
👉 See also: Stick War: Why This Flash Classic Still Dominates Strategy Gaming
Probably not for everyone.
But the "souvenirs" are more than just cosmetic. They turn the Odyssey into a physical timeline of your progress. When you look at the shelf in the ship and see the little model of the inverted pyramid or the cactus from the Sand Kingdom, it triggers a specific memory of how you found those coins.
It’s about the journey. (Yeah, that’s a cliché, but it applies here.)
The costumes also unlock specific Power Moons. You can't enter the "Private Room" in the Metro Kingdom unless you're wearing the Builder Outfit. You can't get the moon from the local in the Snowy Kingdom unless you’re wearing the parkas. So, the Super Mario Odyssey purple coins are actually a secondary gate to 100% completion. You can't get all 880 (or 999) moons without engaging with the purple coin economy.
Actionable Steps for the Completionist
If you are currently hunting for those final few coins, stop aimlessly running around.
- Check the 2D Sections First: Nintendo loves hiding regional coins in the retro walls. Look for "fake" walls in the 2D segments that you can walk through.
- Use the Capture List: Some coins are only accessible by capturing specific enemies. If you haven't captured every frog, bird, or Goomba in a level, you probably haven't found the coins associated with their unique movement abilities.
- The High-Ground Strategy: Get to the highest point in the kingdom and use the binoculars. Zoom in on the edges of the map. Look for the purple glow. It’s much easier to spot them from above than it is while you're running on the ground.
- Listen for the Sound: There is a very subtle "shimmer" sound when you are near a cluster of regional coins. If you play with headphones, you can actually localize them.
- Check the "Start" area: Developers often hide a cluster of coins directly behind where the Odyssey lands. It’s the one place players rarely look because they are so excited to run forward into the level.
The search for Super Mario Odyssey purple coins is basically a test of how well you can think like a level designer. Once you realize that every coin is placed to highlight a specific mechanic or a beautiful view, they become much easier to find. You stop looking for "items" and start looking for "intent."
Go back to that kingdom where you're missing five coins. Look at the most "useless" part of the map—the place where there's no boss, no NPC, and no obvious goal. I bet you they're sitting right there, waiting for you to notice the effort someone put into building that corner of the world.
Next Steps for Players:
Start with the Cap Kingdom to practice your "look-behind" habits, then move to the Lake Kingdom, which has the most devious underwater hiding spots. If you're still stuck, use the Bowser Amiibo to ping the locations and save yourself the headache of the final three. Once you've cleared a kingdom, head to the Crazy Cap shop immediately to unlock the regional outfits, as these are required for several "hidden" Power Moons that you won't be able to trigger otherwise. Keep an eye on the 8-bit murals—they are the most common place for players to leave 3-5 coins behind without realizing there was a hidden path.