172 Tiny Things That Make Super Mario Odyssey a Game for the Ages

On [Applause] Super Mario Odyssey has truly stood the Test of time as one of the best games Available for Nintendo switch as well as One of the most memorable Adventures Ever for the portly plumber Odyssey boasts an Innovative Central Hook boundary pushing art Direction and Worlds that reward player curiosity The icing on the frost frosted cake However is how packed the game is with Tiny but brilliant details including About a zillion references to Mario's Back catalog and Nintendo's heritage to Celebrate the game's five-year Anniversary here at 172 of my favorites [Music] [Applause] [Music] Let's start with the Odyssey if Mario Jumps on the globe before you've Completed new Doc City it plays a Lullaby version of the fossil Falls Theme [Music] Once you've knocked DK off his perch However it switches to jump up Superstar [Music] Another neat Touches at the foot of the Globe each of the 17 points corresponds To a particular Kingdom and will light Up once you've found all its power moons Oh and the Odyssey on the loading screen

Gradually evolves as the in-game Odyssey Does too Mario doesn't have to use the Door to get inside the Odyssey he can Also use the hatch on top or the pipe it Back Except when it's busted of course Mario can heal himself simply by going Inside [Music] If Mario sits on a chair Cappy will sit On the other And if you stand on the bed he'll go to Sleep although to be fair Mario can Sleep almost anywhere [Music] The Odyssey itself is a flying house Built by hat creatures and given what Their hometown of bonnetton looks like It's no surprise that the inside of the Odyssey also has a heap of headwear it Has a heart-shaped mirror wardrobe Bookshelf and ornamentation on Everything even the coffee table and the Coffee cups are head-shaped the outside Is the same the furthest the design gets From Top Hats is the baseball cap brim Style awnings the Bonnet is modeling Everything in their own image is cute I Guess leaning a little towards Supervillainy Mario can add his own decorations of Course and once he does there are some Fun interactions to enjoy The odyssey's exterior meanwhile becomes

A neat throwback to a bygone era of Travel maybe not so bygone for peach Those stickers really do come in an Insane range of sizes have you noticed That anytime you're moving to the right On the world map The Odyssey also moves From left to right in the travel cut Scenes And conversely if you're heading back to Revisit a kingdom it goes from right to Left It's a clever largely subconscious way To help players feel like they're moving Forward throughout the main storyline The different animations are amusing too Well most of them that's just creepy Jumping back to the home of tradition Propriety and hats there's one other Tiny thing I wanted to call out nothing Screams actual top hat like this superb Felt fuzz grass texture I almost dropped My monocle in astonishment when Mario Heads to Cascade for the first time or Should I say when Mario's head does one Tiny detail I love aside from the Amazing spark pylon animation is that The team took care to ensure that the Cap and Cascade kingdoms were close Enough on the world map for it to make Sense as much sense as any of this makes Cascade kingdom is like stepping back in Time which makes the fossils found here Particularly appropriate and of course They contain a host of classic Mario

Enemies it's in Cascade that we're first Introduced to the Odyssey alongside this Musical callback to Super Mario Galaxy [Music] [Applause] [Music] Arena the kingdom is frozen over If you go exploring you'll find this ice In case likito in the Oasis Try gazing into the eyes of some of the Freezing locals you'll see their pupils Have lost their pink color and floral Shape nice to see you guys sorry One of my absolute favorite touches in The sand kingdom is what happens when Mario runs into a cactus Not only does he have Cactus needles Sticking out of his nose but if you then NAB a power Moon you'll discover this Delightful sight Small thing but if you had of knuckle Attack he'll Grumble at you Did you know that behind this Stony Exterior the moa's have a passion for Music yup if you listen closely you'll Hear them humming three classic Mario Tunes Foreign [Music] S incidentally made their first Appearance in Super Mario Land The lake Kingdom is called the kingdom Of Couture and it's not hard to see why With an impression of veils and drapery

All around through to Fashion adjacent Gameplay And once you're introduced to this Beret Wearing Trio of lock lady style sisters You can start hunting for them in other Kingdoms [Music] When Mario first lands in the wooded Kingdom the steamed gardeners are all in A tizzy but once you've beaten torque Drift they become happy flowers bloom on Their heads they dance and they shoot Water up into the air to create a mini Rainbow I also love the small design decision That piranha plants will simply swallow Cappy if you try to capture them you Have to give them something to chew on First [Music] Cappy almost gets swallowed a couple of Times in the lost kingdom too not only Is this a cool nod to Super Mario 64 and Klepto's first appearance but Cappy's Not the only victim of this feathery Filter Captain Toad says he was dropped By a giant bird but a different one Which refers to his adventures in Treasure Tracker staying in the lost Kingdom the book The Art of Super Mario Odyssey reveals that the sound tropical Wigglers make when they stretch is Actually a concertina [Music]

It also suggests that the Island's Colorful butterflies may be the adult Form of the tropical wiggler lastly if The coins of this Kingdom look familiar That's because the design is very much Based on the super Leaf at least the Version seen in games like Super Mario 3D Land So far we've been zipping from Kingdom but now it's time to stay in one Spot for a little while New donk city after all is packed with Donkey Kong references all the streets Are named after Donkey Kong Country Characters for instance and best of all There's no mention of the accursed Funky Kong Funky Kong more like chunky pong The dkc references don't stop at street Names either the original Donkey Kong Arcade game was released in 1981 and is Referenced everywhere from the taxi License plates through to the Billboards Around town that feature authentic Old-school Donkey Kong arcade cabinet Art just look at where Mario started out Sorry did I say Mario he was actually Called Jumpman in that first Incarnation Although he looks more like Popeye here And that Heritage is called out in a Couple of places in New donk and Beyond Hello There are echoes of the original game's Construction site setting all over the

City too Of course one of the biggest and coolest Nods to the arcade game is the fact that It's Damsel in Distress Pauline is the Mayor she's changed a lot from the Original art but her current look Actually isn't all that far off the Cover of 1994's Game Boy release it's Also neat that Mario takes another trip Down memory lane by collecting Pauline's Personal effects Just as he did in the arcade game they Even triggered the original sound effect [Music] Foreign The festival itself is the ultimate Culmination of all these homages to Donkey Kong with girders that look a lot Like those in the arcade games 25 and 75 Meter stages and classic gameplay that Culminates in a confrontation with The Big Ape himself incidentally that DK Sprite looks super faithful but its Colors seem closer to the one used in The NES Port than in the arcade original How's this for a deep cut see the side To side movement Pauline is doing that's A direct reference to her animations From the arcade game and this part of Jump up Superstar contains the Melody From the arcade game's 25 meter stage [Applause] Which is what the bassist is playing When Mario first recruits him

[Music] And did you notice this original arcade Sound effect in the song [Applause] A variation of this theme also pops up Later in the game when Mario and Bowser Are fighting over Peach Mind you as Mario originally assembled The band you heard a different tune Coming together the classic 1-1 Super Mario Brothers Melody Foreign [Music] Lets you play through a close Approximation of that iconic level [Music] And if you like jump up Superstar you Can also unlock an 8-bit remix of it New York City is a big influence on the Metro Kingdom from the yellow taxis to The architectural Styles which span Everything from old-fashioned apartment Blocks complete with external fire Escapes through to the manhattan-esque Skyline It seems fitting then that the Sherm Tanks in new donk wear party hats that Just happen to have stars and stripes Another element that really helps new Donk City feel like New York City is the Graffiti from the old school art of Pauline and DK above ground through to Bowser's efforts in the sewers his many Efforts

Outside the town hall not only is this Map consistent with all the other world Maps but the checkpoint flag marks the Exact location of new dock City and Later on it turns out that houses aren't The only unexpected things that can fly Those are some contrabulous Fab Traptions jumping over to the seaside Kingdom the inspiration here was Actually France and in particular French Resorts where else could these escargot Inhabitants dressed in Stripes Berets And wearing manly mustaches have come From and what could be more French than Champagne we have an enormous wine flute A lighthouse shaped like a bottle of Bubbly and huge corks to pop to get the Sparkle water flowing And then there's the boss Brigadier Molos clancio III Dauphin of bubblane Labeled as a noble French octopus in the Art of Super Mario Odyssey book oh and a Dorphin Miriam Webster says it's the Elder son of a king of France The Motif you can Bubbles gently rising up while swimming Thanks to the carbonated water plus There's a fizzing sound whenever Mario Is moving around on the water's surface I love that you can capture a gushion And use it to water the seedlings for a Faster power Moon [Music] Recognize these fearsome fish

The moray eels were first introduced in Super Mario 64. every Kingdom in Odyssey Really doubles down on its theme and the Luncheon kingdom is no exception perhaps The most inspired touch here however is The fact that the hammer Brothers toss Frying pans instead of hammers there's Also a superb callback to Super Mario Brothers 2. Bowser's Kingdom meanwhile is jammed With things inspired by traditional Japanese culture where Mario travels Between play spaces for instance a Traditional Japanese instrument called a Koto plays And if you go for a swim you won't find Cheap cheap you'll discover koi fish And see these coins they're shapes and Striped markings are very reminiscent of Coban gold coins used during the Edo Period of Japan there are just so many Details to enjoy and to hear and Mario Finds himself in a very traditional Looking space and once he enters the Pipe a folding screen opens to reveal an Incredibly Japanese backdrop for the 2D Gameplay And just outside is a very familiar Sight both in Japan and in Mario games Yes Mario and jizo statues go way back He first became one in Super Mario Brothers 3 And indeed these do look pretty faithful To that game but once you actually

Capture on Mario then turns into the Tanuki jizo from the statue Leaf power Up in Super Mario 3D Land There are a Few aspects of Bowser's Kingdom that Will be much more self-evident for a Japanese audience than a western one the Use of red and white colors for instance Say that there's a celebration while There are two kanji characters that pop Up on the banners and the sails and each Can be read as Kotobuki or Congratulations all the decorations here Here would scream out to a Japanese Person that this kingdom is decked out For Bowser's impending wedding the Lanterns meanwhile have characters on Them that mean conquerors of the heavens According to the art of Super Mario Odyssey book reading them aloud sounds Out the word Cooper everything in this Kingdom is about celebration from the Fireworks bombs through to the robo Brood which was actually designed as a Mobile fireworks launcher And proves that point when defeated in a Cool call back to Super Mario 3D World Foreign We all know that Mario dresses for the Occasion when he heads to the wedding on The moon but you can wear whatever you Want to confront Bowser and in a Fantastic twist the Koopa King has a Number of different reactions based on Your choice

[Music] [Music] [Music] Luigi also has dialogue that reacts to What Mario's wearing Staying on the moon what else could the Regional currency be then Super Mario Galaxy Star Bits [Music] Moving from Galaxy to Super Mario 64 the Mushroom Kingdom is overflowing with Nods to this all-time classic the castle Itself is probably the most obvious it's Modeled outside and in on Peach's castle In Mario 64. And not only is the music gloriously Nostalgic but any Mario 64 veterans Instinct to fly is rewarded as well [Music] Yeah Oh all those clouds that were on the Walls they're back too albeit in a Slightly more subtle form what's this These coins look familiar they're even Called 64-esque in the brochure and the Power moons aren't even moons Plus they trigger the same sound as Mario 64's power Stars [Music] I feel like I've seen these trees Somewhere before too better yet in this Kingdom you can cosplay as the original 3D Mario which gets you access to the Courtyard an area straight out of Super

Mario 64. it even has treasure chests That need to be opened in the right Order [Music] Paintings play a critical role in this Kingdom just as they did in Mario 64. Not only to the rooms themselves look Very familiar but so do the sound Effects and the animations where the Mario fails [Music] Or succeeds [Music] Nice what else Mario has definitely Drained the water in this mode before And he's previously met adori as well Finally Yoshi is on the top of Peach's Castle Just as he is in Super Mario 64. Yoshi's House is also in this Kingdom and fans Of Super Mario World might recognize the Layout of the space with the three trees In the fireplace albeit mirrored Compared to the Super Nintendo version And both games have a note explaining Why Yoshi isn't there the Mushroom Kingdom has one other reference to Mario Game's past that I want to highlight the Tail tree this tanuki-tailed Timber First appeared in Super Mario 3D Land And as you can see its foliage is Literally made up of super Leaf Power-ups if you look closely the toads Are wearing an assortment of different

Hats according to the book The Art of Super Mario Odyssey these are souvenirs From peaches travels if you read the Info on the map it mentions that some Claim the shape of the lake is familiar It's a classic Mario shroom Lastly once you have 999 moons a giant Top Hat appears perched on Peach's Castle it's not just decorative either [Music] Moving away from specific kingdoms did You notice that Mario does appropriate Things in the main menu he splits up With Cappy for two player stretches for The action guide and looks for anyone Who actually uses the game's VR option If you navigate the pause menu options In just the right order you can play Rosalina in the observatory from Super Mario Galaxy [Music] And if you open and close the menu You'll make a classic Mario 1 up jingle [Music] Hopping back into the game how about That rocket flower sound effect [Music] Power moons come in different colors in Different kingdoms and these are Mirrored by the color of the checkpoint Flagpoles too and when you find a moon Using a picture Hint it will be a power Moon from the kingdom that hosts the Picture

Foreign Battlefield from Super Mario 64 on it The map in The Odyssey also does Mario 64 was incredibly foundational for the 3D games that followed establishing most Of Mario's moves As well as additional flourishes like Getting toasted Nicely toasted and this extremely Graceful spinning descent Mario has a few different animations When he backs a power Moon and they're All callbacks to earlier games a closed Fist is from Galaxy The open hand is from sunshine [Music] [Applause] And the Victory sign is from Mario 64. [Music] Motion look familiar With the multi-moon animation pulls from The grand star animation in Super Mario Galaxy [Music] More than just Mario games several of The mini games for instance have their Own Mr Game and Watch icon and this is After he put on all that pandemic weight Mario has different Idol animations Based on temperature it can be freezing Hot or cold And naturally if he rugs up in cold Conditions or strips down in the heat He'll be much more comfortable and bonus

Points for the snow suit text after Decades of ice levels finally a good Warm jacket also bonus points that Luigi Gets cold too and doesn't get a good Warm jacket On the subject of dressing appropriately One of odyssey's greatest Delights is Seeing how Goombas and other creatures For that matter change their hats for Each kingdom And whoever came up with the idea of Stacking Goombas should be given an Award I love how hats pull double Duty adding Extra personality as well as functioning As a layer of armor that needs to be Knocked off to make something capturable The Hat doesn't come off or something Looks nasty and spiky no capture for you Most of the kingdoms have a unique bird Living in them Each of which has its own Chirp and will come and land on Mario if He falls asleep or sits on a bench for Long enough the Mushroom Kingdom Meanwhile is actually home to all the Birds five kingdoms have a nintendog in Them and these pups are both playful and Happy to snooze with Mario Later on one will join Mario on his Adventures it's also cute that as Mario Falls asleep so too does Cappy Remember how Mario dreamed of pasta in Super Mario 64. I

Well that's back in Odyssey and expanded Out to more than 30 varieties [Music] Alongside some other rather cute Windows Into his world Mario won't fall asleep if he's too hot Or too cold oh and he's colder in the Shade it's hard to miss how much Mario Loves to dance but did you notice he has A different animation for the trumpet Player and guitarist in new donk he's One cool cat okey-dokey the Boombox in New donk city is my favorite as it plays A laid-back piano arrangement of Super Mario world's Overworld theme Foreign [Music] Version actually [Music] If you hit a Boombox before rescuing Peach the music will cut to a brief Snippet of the Bowser battle 1 theme Complete with peaches screams Afterwards however it will play the Japanese version of Break Free lead the Way Most places in the Metro and mushroom Kingdoms it will play the Japanese Version of jump up Superstar [Music] In the boomboxes Mario does this weird Pause when it moves from one song to the Next You do you begin

Mario is just so full of personality in This game whether it's the incredible Animation when he falls from a great Height Well the fact that his cheeks are Comically puffed out as he holds his Breath underwater Speaking of going underwater if you dive Into water Mario actually holds the dive All the way down [Music] The nintendog on the moon has a similar Move [Music] Bowser has some nice details to admire As well such as his dashing side part Scrubs are pretty good Oh and I love that when Mario captures Him he has his own version of Mario's Triple jump Odyssey has quite a lot of bespoke Dialogue to discover rewarding players Who do things like runoff during boss Battles Or toy with the new donker's emotions Another example is the fact that Cappy Won't put up with Mario being a doggone Idiot Which put I The Rock and dog also turns Up in Odyssey No wrong one Defy him by about 10 percent [Music] Better poochie appears in several of the

Pieces of hint art and in-game very Briefly [Music] From dogs to cats cat Mario and Cat Peach hidden throughout Odyssey a neat Nod to both Super Mario 3D World where They made their debut and Super Mario Maker where they turned up in Sprite Form You can even find them together on the Moon above the wedding chapel no less Rosalina also has a cameo as do pixel Toads and Luigi's but they're a whole Lot more hidden Non-pixel Luigi meanwhile contains a Homage to the button colors of the Super Nintendo controller the true Super Nintendo control that is not whatever This was the Funky Kong of console Designs yo yo Yo balloon World lets you see Kingdoms At a different time of day mind you lots Of Kingdoms change over the course of Mario's Adventure the ketu and Mario go Way back so it's no surprise they're in Odyssey but the first fishing lakitu was Actually in Super Mario World As if referencing a million other games Wasn't enough Odyssey also references Itself check out this UFO it's like a Miniature version of Talk drift Complete with Soiree bouquet flowers Inside it appears in a handful of places But only one has a secret

Mario faces off against Bowser's Lieutenants the brutals a number of Times during Odyssey but why are they Rabbits Well there's the rabbit hat connection For one but more than that in Japanese Culture and several others rabbits are Associated with both weddings and the Moon so what better fit than wedding Planners who live in a stone carrot on The moon there's a lot to love in Odyssey's capture mechanic from the Animation itself through to subtle Additional touches like the way Mario's Eyes take over when he captures the Sherm The captured Journeys are awesome too From Spawn to tadpole to frog Or this Whirlwind tour of Mario's Showdowns with Bowser [Music] And on to their shared obsession with Peach oh and when Mauser not to be Confused with meowza goes 8-bit it's his Original form whole beard with Mario's Captain mustache this is the classic Princess Toadstool too NPCs will react To Mario once he's captured something And they're generally terrified but not Always if it's something innocuous or Something they're really into My favorite thing about the capture Mechanic of course is the tiny but Brilliant decision to make a mustachioed

Menagerie aside from Gustin who Apparently already have their own upper Lip warmers Of course if Odyssey wasn't fun to play It wouldn't matter how many mustaches it Tossed on things but the but the tiny Details shine here as well there are Countless ways to do even the simplest Things like collecting coins or hitting Question mark blocks And why wouldn't you be able to spin Signs Or power moons Mario will throw Cappy clockwise or Anti-clockwise depending on which Joy-con you use to toss him Thank you There are so many minor things to enjoy In Odyssey objects to interact with and Hidden rewards to discover [Music] And why does Mario kick the checkpoints Because of his Secrets and tricky to reach areas abound And invisible coins could be anywhere And if in doubt Graham found them out That's not a saying I've been working on This video for too long That's three weeks of work you're gonna Be okay you can even speed up certain Transitions check out the difference Between walking into a pipe and rolling It even impacts the sound effect [Music]

Super Mario Odyssey is full of small Design decisions to help the player Trails of coins leading to an unexpected Location or a new interaction [Music] Shadows to indicate something above Birds sitting seemingly on thin air Small tells Mario's gaze will often help the player Too Let's shift into a musical gear now Starting with one of the best uses of Music in the game [Music] For shortage of classic Mario Melodies Like Airship Theme a tune we've heard Evolve Through the Ages [Music] Underground themes are staple too and There are three different versions in Odyssey This space starts slowed down one [Music] May sound familiar for Treasure Tracker Fans And how about this [Music] Meanwhile if you visited the Toad Houses In Super Mario Brothers 3 Probably recognize this one And if you take on the RC challenge You'll hear this iconic Super Mario Kart Tune [Music]

Using a Mario amiibo meanwhile Temporarily prevents damage but you'll Still be destroyed by this funky retro Version of the Mario theme from Super Mario 3D Land We've already talked about jump up Superstar but I only just realized that The crowd jumps in time with Pauline's Lyrics [Music] Awesome touch Pauline has another song Of course and in the book The Art of Super Mario Odyssey director Canter Motokura says that it's a song Celebrating all players encouraging them To seek out new experiences without fear How's that for a positive message Is it gonna start okay we're almost There let's quickly whip through some of My favorite references in Mario's Outfits the top pattern tasks look very Much like the Mario from the cover of Super Mario All-Stars only with more of A cap Kingdom color scheme then again The bottom half might be inspired more By Mario Paint the conductor outfit 2 Also looks a lot like it's from Mario Paint this outfit as well obviously it Wasn't actually in the game itself but Featured on various covers and in Promotion materials one thing to note Instead of turning his cap backwards for Odyssey Mario has instead acquired a Beret which is a nod to the cover of

Mario artist paint studio for the 64 DD The sombrero and Poncho outfit is from The Game Boy Port of kicks Swimwear Mario is from a 2015 Club Nintendo calendar that calendar was also The first time we saw him in a samurai Outfit and a hakama The Explorer outfit is originally from Mario's picross The scientist get up is from a super Game Boy commercial Also included a Wu-Tang inspired outfit Based on this commercial TV it's amazing Mario is an aviator is Most likely inspired by the flying Sequences in Super Mario Land No prizes for guessing where the Builder Outfit is from [Music] The golf gear meanwhile first appeared In 1987's family computer Golf US course Classy one small but neat detail is that Mario's boots are spiked you ever wonder What the bottom of an avatar shoe looks Like well bam there it is Chef Mario stick is from the NES version Of Yoshi's cookie The satella View Outfit originated in the ads for the Device itself which was released in Japan in 1995. the art of Super Mario Odyssey book says the tagline translates To new games rained down from space That's not Mario's only space suit Either perhaps a reference to his space

Zone outfit in Super Mario Land 2. Metal Mario as well as the Mario 64 Captain suit are both of course from Call of Duty Modern Warfare oh no I mean Mario 64. This outfit isn't just an Ode to getting Shines [Music] Mario could actually wear it in sunshine And the shades made The World Slightly Darker Mario loves gold wait isn't that Wario gold I love gold no matter this is From new Super Mario Brothers 2. Nothing all that notable about this Outfit I just wanted to point out how Much I like the design of the Seas as Eyes Mario's boxes were first spotted as Digital wallpaper back in 2016. the Fashionable outfit may be anything but Okay but it's a call back to this Japanese new Nintendo 3DS ad [Music] The mechanic outfit is from 1988's Famicom gp2 3D hot rally it has a few Changes however Mario has the Hat turned Backwards for one while he also has some Logos that you may recognize from Mario Kart 8. So does the racing outfit my favorite Thing about the football outfit is that He's number 64. so on the back it says You guessed it so where this is from Charge and Chuck reference perhaps The classic cap and suit meanwhile sport

Mario's colors from back when he was Jumpman in the original Donkey Kong Moving on to the Luigi outfit it's the Copy here that's worth paying attention To as has already been established in Super Smash Brothers for Wii U the L Stands for winner Stop Dr Mario the game series that Kicked off on famicom but only added the Red tie from Dr Mario 64 onwards the Cowboy outfit is most likely a reference To Mario Party 2 and before we move away What the hell is Luigi on he looks like He's tripping balls The pirate hat could be a Mario Party 2 Thing too the skeleton outfit is a Pretty Sly one check out what happens to Mario when he's shocked in Super Mario Galaxy A couple more things on outfits as long As you're wearing the matching top and Bottom there's a corresponding Sprite Version of every outfit for the 2D Platforming areas Wait what Mario you got splinched get Back in there you're an abomination And finally not to be outdone Peach also Changes outfits as she travels to the Various kingdoms she has six all Together Let's finish this video with a handful Of tiny details from the end of the game If you get all 880 story moons the Odyssey's sail Turns Gold

[Music] And you'll unlock a Bowser portrait in The wedding chapel and a harder final Fight beat that for an additional group Shot ah I also love the traversable Thank you from the development team Foreign Super Mario 3D World had something very Similar Last but not least when Mario says Thanks so much for playing my game it Serves as one last callback to what else Super Mario 64. thank you so much for Playing my game thanks so much for Watching if you enjoyed this video then Check out 150 tiny things that make Breath of the wild a game for the ages And for everything else you're in the Right place hygiene [Music] Ah oh yeah [Music] [Applause]

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