Walking down the street in this Mario-refracted version of New York, it’s easy to get distracted. I only spent 10 minutes exploring, but it was enough time to climb its tallest building and jump off the very top, gliding through the sky, and diving into a swimming pool on the roof of a nearby building. (I may have accidentally splashed the business-smart citizens chatting poolside, but they didn’t seem to care.) I spoke to the mayor, Pauline, and helped recruit a drummer for a four-piece band she’s putting together. I precariously rode a scooter up some scaffolding. I visited Crazy Cap, a clothing store where I bought a smart pinstripe suit, but opted to wear the adventurer’s outfit that was already stashed away in my wardrobe. I also skipped rope in the park. You can get a lot done in 10 minutes.
Some of these antics resulted in the appearance of a Power Moon, Odyssey’s main collectible. There was one hidden at the top of New Donk’s tallest building, but you wouldn’t know it was there. Like Breath of the Wild’s Korok seeds, it’s a reward for being curious. But in the Sand Kingdom – a desert area with Mexican-influenced elements – I received one for successfully completing a more traditional bit of platforming. They appear to be awarded for showing ingenuity, curiosity, or skill – or combinations of the three.
They a serve a practical purpose, too, fuelling Mario’s hat-shaped vessel, the Odyssey, and ensuring passage to the next Kingdom. Beyond Bowser once again kidnapping Princess Peach – and forcing her into marriage this time – story elements aren’t being revealed just yet, but it’s clear Mario is journey far from the Mushroom Kingdom in pursuit of her.
Sailors often returned home with fantastical tales of weird and wonderful creatures they encountered on their travels. After playing Odyssey, I can relate. It’s bursting with surprises and some wonderfully weird stuff. A lot of this is down to Cappy, Mario’s new hat and companion. He can use it to destroy objects, retrieve distant items, and as a makeshift platform to jump just that little bit further. You simply tap X to throw him, or alternatively, you can flick the right Joy Con.
Interestingly, separated Joy Cons was presented as the preferred control scheme, and there are several motion controls related to Cappy. Flick them both upward or downward, and Cappy is sent in that direction. A coordinated shake left or right with both Joy Cons sends Cappy violently spiralling towards enemies for added damage. Despite Cappy having many motion-controlled actions, according to Nintendo everything can be replicated on the Pro Controller. Based on my limited play time, the motion controls will take some getting used to. The main problem I had was accurately throwing him while also engaging in some more demanding platforming.
Throwing Cappy towards specific enemies and objects in the world allows them to be ‘captured’. Essentially, Mario possesses that object or being for a limited time. You can tell because whatever it is suddenly sprouts his signature ‘tache.
During a short presentation, I saw several of these transformations. Each one started life as a prototype brainstormed by the Mario team. They wanted to find a way to put them all into the game. And so, Mario can bizarrely transform into a wide array of animals, vehicles, objects, and enemies, which in turn grant him a unique ability. For instance, I saw Mario become a tank, and suddenly the player was using motion controls to aim and take fire. Meanwhile, in a forest-themed Kingdom, I watched Mario morph into a bulbous plant which was able to sprout stem-like legs, allowing him ascend a gigantic tree and claim a Power Moon hiding at the very top.
This ‘capture’ mechanic also allows Mario to take control of some of the series’ long-running enemies, from Bullet Bills and Goombas to Chain Chomps and Hammer Bros – each one possessing a unique mechanic to apply within the world. For instance, the Chain-Chomp can be used to demolish parts of the landscape, presumably leading to new areas. One of the reasons I love Mario games is they’re brimming with ideas. Brilliant mechanics, which many games would build an entire game around, are introduced for a single section and then discarded. Odyssey appears to be taking that to an absurd and playful extreme.
Even in my short playtime, I unearthed secrets. By capturing a manhole cover and wriggling out of position, I was able to unlock a subterranean puzzle area. While over in the Sand Kingdom, I came across a strangely-pixellated warp pipe, which devolved Mario back into his 8-bit self for a bit of retro platforming that took place on the side of a wall. It almost looked like a Mario cave-painting.
The idea of travel, of leaving the familiar, is at the heart of Odyssey. The trailer opens with a shot of a T-Rex, but it’s purposefully not rendered in Mario’s art style. It doesn’t look like Yoshi for a reason. Mario is straying far from the Mushroom Kingdom, entering other Kingdoms that he’s never visited before and has no knowledge of, and Nintendo wants these areas to feel exotic. He’s not quite stepping into our reality, but elements of our world have obviously exerted an influence. The Sand Kingdom’s Mexican-influenced elements, for instance, were the result of Kenta Motokura’s (Odyssey director) vacation to Mexico.
Another way Odyssey embraces the idea of travel is having, in addition to a universal currency, Kingdom-specific money. In New Donk City, you collect round purple pennies, while in the Sand Kingdom, there are purple triangles. It allows you to buy region-specific items, but that foreign currency burning a hole in Mario’s dungarees is supposed to make you want to return to a place you have visited. Most of Mario’s new outfits are cosmetic changes, but some will allow him access to otherwise restricted areas. Again, when travelling, it’s important to pack what you’ll need.
‘Odyssey’ feels like the perfect title. Mario is journeying through unknown, strange lands, and as an experience it feels familiar but also exotic. He has all the moves you’d expect from a 3D Mario game, but he can do so much more. In the toss of a hat, you can transform into an enemy which completely changes how you move around and interact with that Kingdom. You’re collecting items, like usual, but here the structure is totally different. These miniature playgrounds are packed with secrets and collectibles that reward experimentation, ingenuity, imagination, and skill.
20 minutes divided across two Kingdom is barely scratching the surface of Mario's voyage, but it’s clear that Odyssey, like his best games, is brimming with ideas and imagination. I can’t wait to embark on this brilliantly bizarre adventure.
Daniel is IGN's UK Managing Editor. You can be part of the world's most embarrassing cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.