Super Mario Odyssey

Did You Know?

• The game was teased via the Nintendo Switch console announcement trailer in 2016.
• Two weeks before release, Nintendo uploaded a Broadway-inspired promotional music video of 'Jump Up Super Star!'.
• Several locations and characters from the game appear in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026).

Plot

Bowser snatches Princess Peach from the Mushroom Kingdom and drags her onto his flying ship, planning to force her into marriage. Mario sneaks aboard to save her, but after a short scuffle, Bowser knocks him off the vessel with his hat, sending Mario tumbling into the Cap Kingdom. Once Mario is gone, Bowser stomps on Mario's cap and lets it drift into the ship's rear propellers, tearing it to shreds. A piece of the shredded cap is caught by Cappy, a sentient hat-like Bonneter from the Cap Kingdom. Cappy tells Mario that Bowser also kidnapped his little sister Tiara to serve as Peach's wedding tiara. Cappy joins Mario, taking the form of Mario's cap, and gives him the power to throw his cap to temporarily take control of creatures and objects, using their abilities. They head to the Cascade Kingdom, find a ship called the Odyssey, and start chasing Bowser.

Mario and Cappy journey through different kingdoms, gathering Power Moons to power the Odyssey. Along the way, they fight the Broodals, a group of rabbit-like wedding planners hired by Bowser, who steal a dress, a cake, and a bouquet from various kingdoms for the wedding. They finally catch up to Bowser in his own kingdom, but he leaves for his wedding on the Moon, leaving Mario and Cappy to battle the Broodals inside a giant Mecha-Broodal. After destroying it, they follow Bowser to the Moon.

Flying the Odyssey to the Moon's surface, Mario and Cappy confront Bowser inside a cathedral. Mario falls through a trapdoor Bowser set, and they fight in the Moon's interior. Mario defeats Bowser and frees Peach and Tiara, but the cavern starts collapsing. Landing deeper in the Moon, Mario uses Cappy to take control of the unconscious Bowser and escapes to the surface with Peach and Tiara. Back on the surface, Mario gets ready to propose to Peach, but Bowser wakes up and proposes too. They argue over who gets to marry her until an overwhelmed Peach tells them to stop. She boards the Odyssey with Cappy and Tiara. Both Mario and Bowser are crushed, but Peach calls for Mario to come home with her. Mario jumps on the ship just as it leaves, stranding Bowser on the Moon.

Development

Super Mario Odyssey was built by Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development division, with help from 1-Up Studio. Yoshiaki Koizumi and Koichi Hayashida, who also produced Super Mario 3D World, handled production, while Kenta Motokura directed. Shigeru Miyamoto returned as what he calls the "Creative Fellow," reviewing concepts the team brought to him and offering feedback. Koizumi noted that Miyamoto "left us to our own devices quite a lot."

The game aimed to attract Mario's core audience more than the series' recent casual-focused titles, emphasizing dense, open-world exploration over the linear structure of newer entries. It followed the style of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. Miyamoto said that after Super Mario Galaxy and 3D World, the team shifted away from linear gameplay to "go back to the roots, to Mario Sunshine," though they made sure the camera controls were much easier to use than in Sunshine.

The first idea for Odyssey came from Koizumi experimenting with motion controls on the Joy-Con; throwing an object felt most natural. To make this gimmick feel connected to Mario, the team chose his own hat as the thrown item. Koizumi stated that all core gameplay concepts were set very early in development, guided by a philosophy of creating a completely new experience for the series. These included traveling between kingdoms, collecting Power Moons, and other settings.

Cappy appeared in the first prototype, and motion controls were built around him. Another goal was maintaining a steady 60 frames per second. Some locations, like New Donk City, featured a more realistic look and human characters. This design choice was meant to emphasize that players were visiting a new, unexpected kind of place.

Reception

Super Mario Odyssey received near-universal praise from critics. By 2025, Metacritic listed it as tied for the third-highest-rated game ever, while OpenCritic ranked it as the highest-rated game of all time, with 98% of critics recommending it. Andrew Webster of The Verge noted that the game’s structure worked well with the Switch’s portability, allowing players to tackle missions in long sessions or collect Power Moons in short bursts, comparing these moons to the shrines in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

However, he found the motion controls frustratingly imprecise and preferred standard controls. The 2D Mario segments were compared to puzzles in A Link Between Worlds, and VentureBeat noted similarities to the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Edge’s staff praised the inventive new ideas and the risks Nintendo took in breaking from the established Mario formula, calling it the long-awaited spiritual successor to Super Mario 64. They highlighted Cappy and the capturing mechanic as the most versatile ability in the series, allowing Nintendo to reinvent familiar activities.

Famitsu gave it 39 out of 40, matching Super Mario 64’s score and the highest for a 3D Mario since then. IGN and GameSpot both awarded perfect 10/10 scores, citing its originality. In contrast, Ian Dallas, creator of What Remains of Edith Finch, gave a lukewarm review, stating that while the game is worth playing, it is not satisfying to finish. Phil Hornshaw of Digital Trends rated it 4 out of 5 stars, saying Mario’s first Switch outing is fun but lacks the innovation and creativity of Nintendo’s best, and noted that the controls and camera can be imprecise and frustrating.