Super Mario Odyssey

SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY

Next up, we have Nintendo's big Mario outing for the Switch, Super Mario Odyssey. Odyssey was critically acclaimed upon release, and seamlessly blended 3D animation with brief 2D sequences, and introduced a new gimmick that opened up whole new dimensions for platforming, that being the introduction of Cappy, a little hat ghost that can allow Mario to possess the bodies of various enemies and control them for a time, making use of their abilities to access areas that he couldn't get to otherwise.

So, let's start with the characters. Mario and Cappy function as our main characters, with Peach, Bowser, Yoshi, Captain Toad, and Luigi all returning, Pauline experience a massive revival for her character after only appearing in the original Donkey Kong and a few minor subsequent appearances, Toadette appearing in a mainline game for the first time, and a new set of bosses in the form of a family of backwoods-hick-looking rabbits who live on the moon called the Broodals.

Mario can do much of everything he could do before, being a master of acrobatics and parkour, with most new abilities coming from Cappy himself (He can now roll around like a ball though, so that's neat). Cappy's primary ability is his power to capture and control others, granting him all sorts of abilities, but most of those will be discussed in the section relating to those characters. Outside of those, he can be thrown forward and made to hover in midair, thrown around in a circle, pull out posts, work levers and zippers and all sorts of mechanisms, travel along an electric wire as a living ball of electricity, use a flower to blast forward at ridiculous speeds, latch onto a slingshot or rocket to reach high places, or control various inanimate objects to move them out of the way. (Including a big slab of meat, perfect taunt fodder).

Now, let's talk about our support characters. So, Luigi is not playable in this game, sadly, but he does run a mini-game wherein he gives you a balloon and you have to hide it somewhere on the map. Princess Peach is held hostage once again, so doesn't give us much to work with, except that she is joined this time by Cappy's sister Tiara. Pauline is mostly an NPC, simply acting as the mayor of the Metro Kingdom's New Donk City, but she also sings in a band made up of a trumpeter, drummer, saxophonist, and guitarist, hosting a massive nostalgic festival for the original Donkey Kong game. Captain Toad and the other Toads are all also NPCs interacting throughout the world, while Toadette acts as an archivist for all the stars out there to collect. Yoshi, on the other hand, is playable, but only upon capture by Cappy. Once again Yoshi can do much of his regular abilities, including the flutter jump and his ability to eat enemies. He has also shown the ability to stick to walls using his tongue and spin around in a circle with his tongue stuck in the center.

Bowser is also playable briefly, likewise upon his capture by Cappy. While captured, he can jump, claw (finally, something reflecting his side B), and breathe fire. During his boss battles, he can throw out his hat, which spawns a pair of punching gloves that Mario can use against him. This hat can also come with a number of false copies to confuse Mario. He can also slam down to make fiery shockwaves, throw large boulders, swipe his tail, and breathe out a wave of fire that he can sweep back and forth.

The Broodals are a sort of discount Koopalings, but all do have unique abilities of their own, just probably not enough to be their own separate characters, instead having to act as color swaps of each other. Madame Brood is the boss of the Broodals, a large, heavyset woman with a pet golden Chain Chomp that she often throws or sends after you. Topper is the leader of the main four (the short one who looks like a leprechaun), and he normally fights using a stack of green hats that he can send spinning around all over the battlefield, tucking into one of them himself, or stack them all on top of his head and spin around in a circle. Hariet is the only girl of the group, and she fights mainly with exploding spike balls, either throwing them, flying around inside her hat and dropping them like bombs, or slamming down the pair attached to her pigtails. Rango is the tall, lanky one, who can also throw out his hat to act as a boomerang, which Mario can flip over and use as a spring, or he can tuck into his hat and bounce around with his big feet. Finally, we have Spewart, the big angry drunk of the group, who can vomit up poisonous goop, or tuck into his hat and fly around leaving a trail of the same goop behind him. Finally, all four Broodals, not counting Madame Brood, can all pilot RoboBrood, a giant mech that can stomp around, charge really fast, drop exploding spike balls, and send out spiky spinning rings.

Next up, we have a bunch of characters who act as NPCs, as most worlds generally have their own native civilians running around. These include: Tostarenans from the Sand Kingdom, little skeleton dudes wearing sombreros who love dancing; Lochladies, merfolk from the Lake Kingdom, good at making dresses; Steam Gardeners, robots who tend the Wooded Kingdom; New Donkers, which are literal realistic looking humans; Shiverians, who bounce and roll all over the place; Bubblainians, snails; and Volbonans, literal living forks from the Luncheon Kingdom. Shiverians are the only ones Cappy can legitimately capture, aside from a couple New Donkers who you can then use to control a small R.C. car, and some Volbonans who act more as pegs in the wall than anything. Other NPCs include some Koopas who challenge you to a race, some Rabbits who run around for you to chase (because what else does a Mario series do with rabbits that aren't Broodals?), Yoshi's dog Poochy that you can fish out of a poison sea at one point, a jabbering parrot named Talkatoo, a ridiculously fast and unwieldy stone lion named Jaxi, and Dorrie returning from Super Mario 64.

Aside from Bowser and the Broodals, we have a few more bosses to cover. Knucklotec is basically Eyerok except with a giant floating head, an army of mummies, and the ability to throw ice blocks. Cappy can control this one's fists. Torkdrift is an out-of-control gardening machine that can suck up flowers and fire lasers that can create shockwaves. Mechawiggler is a giant robot that can charge around, teleport, and fire energy balls. Mollusque-Lanceur is a giant regal octopus thing with lava covering his head that can spin around really fast and fire shells, either round or pointed, out of his mouth. Cookatiel is a giant bird that can fly around, carry meat, flap his wings really hard, spit various fruits and vegetables, and spew the pink, lava-like liquid that fills up Luncheon Kingdom (I think it's broth?). And finally, we have the Ruined Dragon, a gigantic, realistic-looking dragon who breathes powerful purple electric blasts, complete with spinning electric sawblades, and slam his head down to create wavy lines of electric shockwaves.

Now for our returning enemies! Currently, Klepto the vulture who steals your hat, Mini-Goombas, and Spinies are the only enemies to return that can't be captured, and all three perform the same basic function. Those he can capture include: Goombas, who don't slide on ice and can stack up really high; Hammer Bros. and Fire Bros., who both serve the same function but with different projectiles (and are apparently far more hyperactive than I thought they were); Dry Bones, who can fly now; Lakitus, who are mainly used to fish; Cheep Cheeps, who can swim far better than Mario can (but still not much else); Piranha Plants, who spew poison and tend to eat Cappy unless they've eaten a rock; Chargin' Chucks, who barrel forward like they do; Chain Chomps, who Cappy can pull back and launch like projectiles; Bullet Bills, that he can fly with; Lava Bubbles, that let him swim through lava, or broth; Coin Coffers who spew coins with every move; a tropical variant of Wigglers, that can stretch out across great distances without danger; and Ty Foo, a big cloud that blows a freezing wind.

As for new enemies, those Cappy can capture include: a tiny little frog good for hopping to high ledges; a T-Rex that often sleeps but can also roar loud enough to shake the area and rampage destroying everything in its path; Moe-Eyes, little Easter Island head guys with shades that let them see invisible platforms; Uproots, little walking vegetables that extend their roots really high; Sherms, literally tanks; Glydon, a winged lizard that can fly great distances; Gushen, a little octopus surrounded by a bubble of water that can jet up and forward with a stream of water behind it; and Pokio, a little bird with an extendable beak that can be used to poke into walls. Those Cappy cannot capture are Burrbos, little spiky dudes that burrow up from the ground, Urban Stingbies, larvae that transform into flies and launch at you, Chinchos, literal mummies, Comboos, walking seaweed, Magmatoes, living tomatoes that fly at you, Trapeetles, exploding robots that grab your hat and launch forward, Astro-Lanceurs, robotic octopi that launch spiky shells, Stairface Ogres, big stone things that slam down a small staircase on top of you, Maw-Rays, basically the Unagi again, and Bitefrost, living pillars that launch up from the ground to bite you.

As far as stages, this game does not have the ridiculous level of stages we've seen in past games, mostly opting for Mario 64's version of large open world stages that you can explore for ages. These include: Bonneton in the Cap Kingdom, a ghostly stage that serves as Cappy's home and the first basic level of the game; Fossil Falls in the Cascade Kingdom, a dinosaur-themed ancient world; Tostarena in the Sand Kingdom, a desert world that takes inspiration from Mexico, Easter Island, and Egypt; Lake Lamode in the Lake Kingdom, a small, serene water level; Steam Gardens in the Wooded Kingdom, a forest level that meshes nature with technology (and easily my least favorite world, personally); Nimbus Arena in the Cloud Kingdom, a mini-level where you fight Bowser; Forgotten Isle in the Lost Kingdom, a toxic tropical rain forest region; New Donk City in the Metro Kingdom, a sprawling cityscape themed after Donkey Kong; Shiveria in the Snow Kingdom, a snow level; Bubblaine in the Seaside Kingdom, a beach level; Mount Volbono, a level made out of food that presents itself as a lava level, if that makes sense; Crumbleden in the Ruined Kingdom, another mini-level where you fight the Ruined Dragon; Bowser's Castle in Bowser's Kingdom, a very Japanese temple-themed fortress; Honeylune Ridge in the Moon Kingdom, a space/lava themed level and final boss; Peach's Castle in the Mushroom Kingdom, a basic grassland level; Rabbit Ridge on the Dark Side, a boss rush; and Culmina Crater on the Darker Side, a final challenge of sorts. Most of the main levels I'll include at least, leaving out the two boss levels and the Dark and Darker Sides.

There are a number of items, such as moons and coins, including regional coins, as well as the aforementioned flowers to pick up and so on, but really most of the upgrades come from Cappy, so not much at the moment.

Let's see what we've got!

Characters:
Mario: multiple different types of jumps and punches, wing cap, metal cap, pixel cap, ride on shell, fire from cannon, slide on belly, use F.L.U.D.D., spin, shoot starbits, warpstar, pull star, fly as a bee, cling to honey, pass through walls (Boo), skate across ice, throw fireballs, fly, invincibility, spring, rock, cloud, drill, roll, throw Cappy, capture, run really fast
Luigi: clone of Mario, give out balloons
F.L.U.D.D.: spray forward stream, jetpack hover, rocket nozzle, spin and spray, launch missiles, shoot bubbles
Cappy: capture, fly forward, fly around in a circle, electric wire, pull out posts, work mechanisms, control various inanimate objects
Peach: nothing, parasol, jet, tiara
Pauline: mayor, sing, bandmates, festival
Toad: nothing, give star, spaceship, headlamp, hang out, sell stuff, hints
Toadette: send on missions
Toadsworth: nothing
Yoshi: hop around, flutter jump, egg, tongue, spray fruit juice, spit enemies, flip around flowers, run really fast, inflate, glow, stick to walls, spin around
Rosalina: nothing
Luma: spit star bits, eat star bits, transform into warpstars, pull stars, planets, spin, and become bunnies
Bowser: tromp around, breathe fire, charge, tip stage, create shockwaves, hang out in hot tub, breathe meteors, spinning punch, curl into boulder, spin in shell, command airships, fly, be giant, throw meteors, punch with shockwaves, claw, punching glove hat, throw boulders, swipe tail
Bowser Jr.: transform, paintbrush, flying machine, shoot bullet bills, mini airship, cannonballs, magikoopas, Megaleg, Megahammer, Boomsday Machine
Shadow Mario: run, jump, paint, paintbrush, tongue, fiery paint trail, command Mechabowser
Broodals: chain chomp, spinning hats, spin with hats, tuck into hat, throw bombs, bombs on pigtails, drop bombs, boomerang hat, spring hat, bounce around, spew poison, leave poison trail
Lubba: not much
Pianta: nothing, chuck you
Noki: nothing, tuck in shell
Honeybee: fly, climb on honey, spear, butt bash
Shiverian: bounce around endlessly
Goomba: walk around, spin like a top, minis, giants, helmet, pumpkin, Paragoomba
Koopas: run away, pop from shell, race, Snooza Koopa, Electrokoopa, tuck into shell, used as projectile
Dry Bones: fall apart, eat matter, fly
Chargin' Chuck: charge forward
Piranha Plant: sleep, bite, spit paint, bob around, spiky, spit poison, eat rocks
Petey Piranha: fly with leaves, roar, spit goop, Piranhabons, create tornadoes
Boo: float around, Big Boo, turn into blocks, pass through walls, hide face, explode, swing around by tongue, turn invisible
King Boo: roulette wheel, slot machine, spit bubbles, fruit, enemies, Boos
Blooper: crawl around, surf, spit ink, swim
Gooper Blooper: slap tentacles, spray ink, spin and spray
Lakitu: float, drop Spinies, use camera, blast lightning, fish
Shy Guy: Fly Guy, fire, Snufit float, fire pellets
Hammer Bros: throw hammers, throw boomerangs, hop around, throw fire
Magikoopa: cast spell, summon shells, throw fireballs, teleport
Monty Mole: jump, throw rocks, drive tank, throw Bob-Ombs, fire Bullet Bills, pop up, throw wrench, dig in ground, fire bubbles
Bob-Omb: explode, fire cannons, pick up and throw (Big Bob-Omb)
Cheep Cheep: swim, spikes
Captures: Tropical Wigglers, Lava Bubbles, Ty Foos, Frogs, T-Rex, Moe-Eyes, Uproots, Sherms, Glydon, Gushens, and Pokios
<Tentative> Chain Chomp, Wiggler, Whomp, Strollin' Stu, Il Piantissimo, Gearmo, Penguin, The Chimp

Bosses:
Big Bob-Omb
King Whomp
Big Boo
Big Bully
Eyerok
Chill Bully
Gooper Blooper
Manta Ray
Wiggler
Dino Piranha
King Kaliente
Bugaboom
Megaleg
Tarantox
Topmaniac
Bouldergeist
Major Burrows
Baron Brrr
Bonefin
Peewee Piranha
King Lakitu
Digga Leg
Gobblegut
Rollodillo
Sorbetti
Glamdozer
Squizzard
Prince Pikante
Knucklotec
Torkdrift
Mechawiggler
Mollusque-Lanceur
Cookatiel
Ruined Dragon

Stages:
Princess Peach's Castle (Melee)
Princess Peach's Castle (Inside)
Bob-Omb Battlefield
Whomp's Fortress
Jolly Roger Bay
Cool Cool Mountain
Big Boo's Haunt
Hazy Maze Cave
Lethal Lava Land
Shifting Sand Land
Dire Dire Docks
Snowman's Land
Wet-Dry World
Tall Tall Mountain
Tiny-Huge Island
Tick Tock Clock
Rainbow Ride
Bowser's World
Delfino Plaza
Bianco Hills
Ricco Harbor
Gelato Beach
Pinna Park
Sirena Beach
Noki Bay
Pianta Village
Corona Mountain
Toad Village
Gateway Galaxy
Comet Observatory
Good Egg Galaxy
Honeyhive Galaxy
Space Junk Galaxy
Battlerock Galaxy
Beach Bowl Galaxy
Ghostly Galaxy
Gusty Garden Galaxy
Freezeflame Galaxy
Gold Leaf Galaxy
Sea Slide Galaxy
Toy Time Galaxy
Deep Dark Galaxy
Dreadnought Galaxy
Melty Molten Galaxy
Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Starship Mario
Sky Station Galaxy
Yoshi Star Galaxy
Spin-Dig Galaxy
Fluffy Bluff Galaxy
Puzzle Plank Galaxy
Boulder Bowl Galaxy
Hightail Falls Galaxy
Cosmic Cove Galaxy
Cloudy Court Galaxy
Tall Trunk Galaxy
Haunty Halls Galaxy
Freezy Flake Galaxy
Supermassive Galaxy
Flipsville Galaxy
Starshine Beach Galaxy
Chompworks Galaxy
Space Storm Galaxy
Boo Moon Galaxy
Slipsand Galaxy
Shiverburn Galaxy
Melty Monster Galaxy
Clockwork Ruins Galaxy
Throwback Galaxy
Battle Belt Galaxy
Bonneton
Fossil Falls
Lake Lamode
Steam Gardens
Forgotten Isle
New Donk City
Shiveria
Bubblaine
Mount Volbono
Bowser's Castle
Honeylune Ridge
Peach's Castle

Items:
Wing Cap
Metal Cap
Pixel Cap
Green Shell
Bob-Omb
Bullet Bill
Coin
Star
Box
F.L.U.D.D.
Shine Sprite
Fruit
Star Bits
Invincibility Star
Fire Flower
Ice Flower
Red Star
Bee Mushroom
Boo Mushroom
Spring Mushroom
Warp Star
Pull Star
Spin Drill
Cloud Flower
Rock Mushroom
Moons
Regional Coins
Scooter

Thanks for reading! Check us out next time as we start delving into updating our character roster, starting with a revision of Mario!