The days before Nintendo’s return to 3D platforming are numbered, and for many Mario fans, the excitement is palpable. Super Mario Odyssey marks the latest 3D Mario adventure since Super Mario 3D World released for the Nintendo Wii U.
In the recent overview trailer, Cappy, The Odyssey, Power Moons and Crazy Cap Stores take centre stage. It’s already well known that Cappy allows Mario to bridge gaps and possess enemies, enabling further exploration and access to new areas. On the other hand, Power Moons act as fuel for The Odyssey, and need to be collected to extend your travel range; they seem to have a similar level progression function as the star coins in Super Mario 3D Land.
The Crazy Cap Stores are found in each kingdom and offer players the ability to customise caps and outfits in exchange for regional coins. It’s not clear if different outfits will confer advantages like tunics in Zelda. On the Instagram front, we have Snapshot Mode, which lets players take high resolution pictures of Mario with heaps of tweaks and filters, and jazzing up gameplay will be an exciting two-player mode that lets Player 1 control Mario while Player 2 becomes Cappy.
Super Mario Odyssey is sailing through uncharted waters. Not only is it the first Super Mario title to receive an E10+ rating, it’s also trailblazing a path for a future of open-world Mario games. Given Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild also favoured this approach, it begs the question—is Super Mario Odyssey just a spark in a grand plan to remaster the 3D platforming genre?
Super Mario Odyssey releases on October 27 as a Nintendo Switch exclusive. It will be running at 60FPS and eat up a tiny 5.7 GB of your storage space.
Pre-order Super Mario Odyssey here.
