The majestic platformer featuring one of gaming's biggest icons, Super Mario Odyssey, is certainly a captivating one... and no that pun wasn't intended. The ex-plumber and his new cap companion embark on what's truly one of the most epic, memorable Mario journeys of all time, with a diversity of colorful worlds, cool baddies, and satisfying abilities to boot.
Yet, such a fantasy-laden odyssey invites all sorts of weird happenings, inconsistencies, and questions. Indeed, there is no shortage of weirdness and inexplicable occurrences in Odyssey, even moreso than the typical Mario adventure. Let's go over 10 of the most significant ones now.
10 The Story Behind Cappy
For a character/prop from which the game largely centers around, we sure don't hear much scoop involving Cappy, Mario's odd new companion who can control both living and non-living entities. Just what is the story behind this bizarre, darkly-tinged land known as Cap Kingdom, and what is Cappy's role that makes him a prominent figure? How is Cappy able to possess different enemies simply by placing himself on their heads?
And for that matter, how is a living, floating hat able to exist in the first place? Sure, you've got to suspend quite a bit of disbelief what it comes to the fantastical nature of Mario games, but a bit more backstory on this odd character would have helped.
9 The People Of New Donk City
One of the more odd aspects of Super Mario Odyssey (among many) is Mario's presence in New Donk City compared to the other inhabitants. The game takes something of a modern-day Sonic approach by placing Mario in a more realistic environment with realistic human figures walking about.
Yet, Mario is clearly of a much different appearance and stature of these inhabitants, standing at under half their height. How is this possible, given that Mario is clearly human as well? You would think they are different species given their radically different design and appearance. They don't seem to take much notice or care when it comes to Mario's odd, foreign look, even when he's running around causing havoc in New Donk.
8 Mario Possesses Yoshi With Cappy But Can't Sit On Him?
Yoshi's entire purpose within the Mario universe is to be his dinosaur pal which the pudgy plumber rides from place to place, allowing him to traverse more dangerous lands, consume foes, and float for a bit in mid-air. Yet in Odyssey, apparently Cappy completely occupies the new role as Mario's companion and secret weapon, as you're incapable of sitting on Yoshi.
At the very least, you can possess/control him by flinging Cappy at him, though this is a bit odd (not to mention a tad cruel) considering that Mario typically does this with his enemies.
7 The Random Nature Of Power Moons
While the abundance of Power Moons certainly invites a ton of gameplay and exploration, it's never quite explained just why there are so many of these trinkets scattered all over the various kingdoms. Neither do we get an explanation as to why different kingdoms house a vastly different number of these Moons, or why they vary in color from place to place.
Also, given that these items are seemingly so coveted (they're even sold by shop owners and of course, are used as fuel for Mario's ship), it's odd the inhabitants of each kingdom haven't snatched them all up already.
6 Captain Toad's Peculiar Ability To Be Everywhere
For a character that's seemingly so restricted in his movement and navigation as shown in his own game, Treasure Tracker, he sure seems to get around. Not only can he be found in just about every kingdom in Odyssey, but he's also hanging out in some particularly tough-to-reach areas, as he holds onto Power Moons.
All this traveling amongst these vast, distant kingdoms can't be an easy task, especially since he ultimately hands over the Moons to Mario, which he worked hard to obtain in the first place.
5 Mario Can Breathe On Moon Kingdom
Mario is a character that seems to be all over the place in terms of his abilities. On the one hand, he seemingly takes on Superman-like powers and can achieve just about anything. Yet, there are still more grounded, human-esque qualities he must apparently adhere to such as coming up for air when underwater.
This is particularly odd considering Mario traverses the Moon Kingdom which he seems to be able to breathe just fine without the use of a spacesuit. You could make the argument that this moon contains its own set of unique conditions. Yet, that's a hard case to make considering this moon seems to contain other recognizable lunar attributes like low gravity.
4 Those Retro Portions...
Some of the coolest parts of Super Mario Odyssey come in the form of those warm and fuzzy nostalgic throwback portions, particularly for older fans of the series. Still, these trippy areas invoke some confusion. Just how did these areas come into existence, and how are they able to coexist within the more dynamic 3D environments they reside in?
The sense of immersion tends to feel a bit fractured considering our hero can somehow seamlessly cross in-between different dimensional planes within the same worlds.
3 Cappy Can Only Capture Certain Targets
Another area that's oddly lacking consistency is Cappy's powers, which are seemingly limited. While he can be tossed at a number of different enemies and objects to possess them, there are many that can't be touched, including most of the citizens roaming around New Donk City.
How is it that most enemies, Yoshi, and even various inanimate objects can be controlled, but not certain living things? Perhaps it's a case of Star Wars rules, where only "weak minds" can get influenced by the mind-controlling abilities of Cappy?
2 Mario Takes No Fall Damage
It's pretty peculiar that a human character (who began as a humble plumber, no less) is able to plummet dozens or even hundreds of feet from the sky without taking any sort of fall damage.
You'd think if Mario was this impervious to damage, and seemingly the laws of physics themselves, he would be able to breathe underwater. You'd also figure he wouldn't need his magical hat friend Cappy at all.
1 Where Is Luigi?
Yes, Mario's neglected brother does eventually make the long-awaited appearance as part of a 2018 update that brought the Balloon World minigame. Still, it would have been nice to see him in a more active role, helping out Mario as a companion or even a playable character. But alas, he's relegated to the largely insignificant role of hosting a pretty average minigame within the Odyssey universe.
Just what has Luigi been doing all this time? Where has he been, and why only months after the game's original release does he make a marginal appearance at all?