Honestly, looking back at 2017, it’s wild how much pressure was on one hat-wearing plumber. The Wii U had basically cratered, and Nintendo was betting the entire farm on a tablet with detachable controllers. If the software didn't land, the hardware was dead on arrival. We all remember Breath of the Wild stealing the launch headlines, but Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch was the game that actually proved the console’s DNA. It wasn't just a sequel; it was a thesis statement on why we still need dedicated gaming handhelds in an era of smartphones.
It’s been years, and I still see people arguing about whether this or Galaxy is the peak of the franchise. They’re usually wrong, mostly because they forget how much Odyssey overhauled the fundamental physics of Mario. You’ve got Cappy now. That’s the whole game. It’s not just a gimmick for a trailer. It’s a complete re-imagining of movement.
Why Super Mario Odyssey feels different from every other 3D platformer
Most games give you a double jump and call it a day. Nintendo gave us a sentient hat that acts as a platform, a weapon, and a possession tool. This "capture" mechanic is the secret sauce. When you throw Cappy at a T-Rex or a tiny spark of electricity, you aren't just playing a mini-game. You are fundamentally changing the rules of the Nintendo Switch hardware's interaction.
The controls are dense. Like, really dense. If you just walk and jump, you’re playing about 20% of the game. Professional speedrunners like Pichu or Tyron18 have shown that the skill ceiling is basically nonexistent. You can dive, bounce off the hat, wall jump, and then hat-dive again to clear gaps that look impossible. It’s glorious. It makes the world feel like a playground rather than a series of corridors.
I remember the first time I landed in New Donk City. It felt weird, right? Seeing Mario—a cartoon man with no nose—standing next to realistically proportioned humans in suits. It was jarring. But that’s the point of the "Odyssey." It’s supposed to be a trip outside the Mushroom Kingdom. Shigeru Miyamoto and Kenta Motokura took a massive risk by breaking the visual cohesion of the series. It worked because the gameplay remained rock solid.
The Power Moon problem and the "easy" game myth
You'll hear people complain that Super Mario Odyssey is too easy. I get it. You find Power Moons for doing basically nothing. Sit on a bench? Moon. Ground pound a glowing spot? Moon. It feels like participation trophies.
But here is the nuance: the game isn't about the challenge of finding a moon; it's about the density of the world. There are 880 unique moons in the game (and you can buy more to hit 999). It’s designed for the Nintendo Switch lifestyle. If you’re on a five-minute bus ride, you can find two moons. If you’re sitting down for a three-hour session, you can hunt the brutal "Darker Side of the Moon" challenge.
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- The "Darker Side" is a gauntlet that actually tests your mastery.
- No checkpoints.
- One life (unless you find a heart).
- It forces you to use every capture mechanic you’ve learned.
That’s the brilliance of the design. It scales. It doesn't care if you're a five-year-old or a 30-year-old who grew up on Mario 64.
The hardware synergy nobody talks about
We need to talk about HD Rumble. It was the big marketing buzzword when the Nintendo Switch launched, and most developers ignored it. Not Nintendo EPD. In Odyssey, the vibration is directional and contextual. There are literally moons hidden in the floor that you can only find by feeling the "strength" of the rumble in your Joy-Cons as you walk.
It’s tactile.
Then there’s the portable factor. Super Mario Odyssey runs at a near-locked 60 frames per second, whether it’s docked or in your hands. In 2026, with the "Switch 2" rumors and the Steam Deck taking up space, we sometimes forget how impressive it was to get this level of visual fidelity on a mobile chipset from 2017. The draw distances in the Sand Kingdom are still better than some modern "AAA" ports on the system.
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Hidden mechanics that change everything
Most players finish the story and put the game away. Big mistake. The game actually starts after you beat Bowser on the moon. The "Mushroom Kingdom" world unlocks, and it’s a nostalgia trip of the highest order. You can even change Mario’s skin to look like the low-poly 64-bit version.
There’s also the "Roll Cancel." If you’re looking to move fast, you don't run. You roll. And then you jump. It’s a rhythmic loop that makes traversing the vast maps feel like a racing game. Most people never bother to learn it, but once you do, walking feels like you’re stuck in mud.
How the Nintendo Switch changed the Mario formula
Before the Nintendo Switch, Mario games were split. You had the "2D" linear stuff and the "3D" sandbox stuff. Odyssey tried to marry them. It has those 8-bit sections where you enter a pipe on a wall and suddenly you’re playing a 2D platformer on a 3D surface. It’s seamless. It’s a love letter to the NES.
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But it’s also a rejection of the "lives" system. In Odyssey, you don't have lives. You lose ten coins when you die. That’s it. Some hardcore fans hated this. They thought it removed the stakes. Personally? I think it’s the best thing to happen to the genre. Who actually enjoys seeing a "Game Over" screen and being booted to a title menu in 2026? Nobody. Losing coins matters because you need them for those sweet outfits, like the tuxedo or the skeleton suit.
Common misconceptions about the game’s longevity
A lot of people think Odyssey hasn't received DLC because Nintendo "forgot" about it. That's not really how they operate. They released "Luigi’s Balloon World," which was a clever way to add asynchronous multiplayer without needing huge server overhead. It turned the game into a massive hide-and-seek match.
The real reason there’s no "Odyssey 2" yet is likely because the first one was so dense. Where do you go from here? You’ve already been to the moon, a dragon's lair, and a city of humans. The bar is impossibly high.
Actionable steps for your next playthrough
If you’re picking up a Nintendo Switch today to play this for the first time—or the tenth—change how you play. Stop following the waypoints.
- Turn off the UI. Go into the settings and hide as much as you can. The world is designed with visual cues that tell you where to go. You don't need a mini-map.
- Master the Cappy Jump. Throw the hat, hold the button, dive into it. It’s the single most important move in the game.
- Talk to the NPCs. The characters in the Luncheon Kingdom or the Wooded Kingdom have some of the weirdest, funniest dialogue Nintendo has ever written. It’s charming in a way New Super Mario Bros never was.
- Use Snapshot Mode. Seriously. The filters and camera controls are better than most dedicated photo apps. It’s a great way to appreciate the texture work on Mario's denim overalls—yes, you can see the individual threads.
The Nintendo Switch has a massive library, but Super Mario Odyssey remains the gold standard. It’s a game that respects your time, rewards your curiosity, and reminds you that movement should be fun, not a chore. If you haven't 100% completed it yet, you're missing out on the best content the system has to offer.