GAME · 2017
Super Mario Odyssey
- Developer
- Nintendo
- Publisher
- Nintendo
29 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
All facts (29)
- #001
Yoshiaki Koizumi and Koichi Hayashida produced Super Mario Odyssey, having previously produced Super Mario 3D World, and Kenta Motokura directed the game.
- #002
Shigeru Miyamoto returned to his self-described role of "Creative Fellow" on Super Mario Odyssey, receiving concepts from the developers and providing feedback.
- #003
According to Yoshiaki Koizumi, Shigeru Miyamoto "left us to our own devices quite a lot" during the development of Super Mario Odyssey.
- #004
Super Mario Odyssey was designed to appeal somewhat more to Mario's core audience, moving away from the series' then-recent focus on casual players.
- #005
Super Mario Odyssey emphasizes dense, open-world exploration rather than the linear gameplay of recent Mario games, following the format of titles such as Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine.
- #006
The first concept for Super Mario Odyssey came from Koizumi's use of motion controls, picturing Joy-Con motion actions whose most natural fit was throwing an object; Mario's own hat was chosen as that object to create a sense of connection to the gimmick.
- #007
According to an interview with Koizumi, the core gameplay concepts for Super Mario Odyssey were settled very early in development, with the aim of delivering an entirely new experience for the series.
- #008
Super Mario Odyssey's early concepts included travel between kingdoms and the collection of Power Moons, while Cappy was created in the first prototype and motion controls were built from it.
- #009
Another goal during the making of Super Mario Odyssey was to keep the game running at 60 frames per second.
- #010
Super Mario Odyssey gave locations such as New Donk City a more realistic look with humans, a choice intended to stress the feeling of a new place unlike what players expected.
- #011
Super Mario Odyssey's developers considered the Switch's portability and TV docking as one of the main aspects affecting how the game could be played.
- #012
Motion controls were implemented in Super Mario Odyssey, usable with a Joy-Con in each hand or with the Pro Controller.
- #013
The developers of Super Mario Odyssey took care to ensure the game was fun to play both portably and docked, balancing it for short bursts and long sessions alike.
- #014
Kenta Motokura said in an interview at E3 that Super Mario Odyssey could be played either by following a set storyline or by finding power moons through exploration, and that each platforming stage had numerous ways of completion.
- #015
During the design of Super Mario Odyssey's gameplay, elements from Minecraft were considered. The team initially believed that camera movement comparable to Minecraft would be difficult for children, but later decided it was sufficient given Minecraft's popularity among children.
- #016
Super Mario Odyssey's developers began by building prototypes of gameplay gimmicks or platforming stages, then discussed which setting or theme suited each prototype, and constructed the locations second.
- #017
According to Kenta Motokura, the locations in Super Mario Odyssey were built around the themes of journey and surprise.
- #018
Super Mario Odyssey's kingdoms include purchasable souvenirs intended to make them more relatable and easier to connect to, and each kingdom was based on the designers' personal experiences.
- #019
Because Super Mario Odyssey's kingdoms were open-world areas, the developers filled them with diversity and small details to create a sense of empathy and connection for the player, and the team considered in-game screenshots a natural fit.
- #020
Cappy became a character in Super Mario Odyssey shortly after the hat-throwing mechanic was introduced, as the developers wanted a buddy to accompany Mario on his journey.
- #021
When choosing which environments to represent in Super Mario Odyssey, the developers gave priority to the city setting.
- #022
The developers of Super Mario Odyssey selected Pauline, a character who first appeared alongside Mario in Donkey Kong, to serve as mayor of New Donk City, aiming to anchor players in the new setting with a familiar series element.
- #023
Super Mario Odyssey's developers gave Pauline an interest in jazz music, which led to her becoming a singer and to the inclusion of the song "Jump Up Super Star!"
- #024
"Jump Up Super Star!" is a swing music-inspired song composed for Super Mario Odyssey by the game's lead composer, Naoto Kubo, with vocals by Kate Higgins.
- #025
The chorus of "Jump Up Super Star!" was kept simple so it would be memorable and easy to sing along to.
- #026
Nobuyoshi Suzuki wrote the Japanese lyrics for "Jump Up Super Star!" and Rob Heiret translated them into English; the theme song "Break Free (Lead the Way)" followed a similar process.
- #027
A sampler album with 12 tracks from Super Mario Odyssey was released on iTunes in December 2017.
- #028
Being Inc. released a four-disc soundtrack for Super Mario Odyssey in Japan in 2018, containing 136 tracks.
- #029
The Super Mario Odyssey soundtrack discs also include commentary from some of the development staff.
Sources & editorial notes
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Super Mario Odyssey — Wikipedia
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