‘Super Mario Odyssey’: The Comedown

It’s common knowledge that Super Mario Odyssey is overflowing at the brim with things to do. Even after kicking the turtle-shelled backside of Bowser into deep oblivion, the curtain is far from drawn on Jumpman’s wild world. This is as a result of the tirade of time-absorbers thrust upon players following the conclusion of Super Mario Odyssey’s main story.

On Tuesday the 31st of October, whilst everybody was celebrating Halloween, I was huddled in bed as I finally achieved a state of one hundred percent completion in Super Mario Odyssey, which entails collecting nine-hundred and ninety-nine power moons (yes, that’s a hell of a lot). It took me far longer than it should have done due to my requirements to balance other commitments (from writing my review, to not ignoring my girlfriend) with what had become an overwhelming fixation on that bloody plumber and his relentless decelerations of “Yahoo” upon performing a particularly athletic manoeuvrer concerning his ability to jump. His irritatingly jolly face has dominated my mind, so much so that I would find myself upon closing my eyes to be greeted by a cascade of colors and an influx of images from my relentless indulgence in assisting Mario in solving his personal problems (such as helping him get back that girl he’s fancied for ages from that geezer he hates). Regardless, whilst Super Mario Odyssey may have reduced me to a desperate addict, helplessly craving his next fix, I can’t deny that the journey has been a marvelously memorable one.

So exactly how achievable is it to accomplish complete and utter closure on each and every facet of challenge within Super Mario Odyssey? Well, I’ve compiled a summary to detail what specifically is required, and its exact level of difficulty (should you wish to avoid minor spoilers, look away now).

Collect nine-hundred and ninety-nine power moons (difficulty: hard).

Unsurprisingly, the biggest challenge of Super Mario Odyssey is acquiring its lofty sum of power moons. With many of these common collectibles becoming available only following Princess Peach’s successful removal from Bowser’s clutches, there is much work to be done following the felling of the big boss. Certain post-game power moons, such as completing the Picture Match mini-game of Mario’s face, along with the white knuckle challenge of the Darker Side Kingdom, caused me significant trouble. Furthermore, over one hundred power moons must be purchased from Crazy Cap in order to bring the overall quantity to its highest threshold, which will demand a generous helping of coins.

Collect every kingdom’s regional coins and spend them in Crazy Cap to pimp out the Odyssey (difficulty: medium).

Whilst this is a somewhat straightforward task that can be completed at any time, missing coins is a common mistake to make. I for one scoured the Metro Kingdom for hours on end attempting to locate the three coins that had somehow slipped through my fingers, only to finally discover them hiding towards the peak of the tallest skyscraper, tucked sneakily away between two concrete surfaces. Experiences such as this are statistically probable to happen to anybody that attempts this collectathon-esque challenge, so bring a significant sum of patience (and maybe an online walkthrough should the situation become desperate).

Purchase every outfit from Crazy Cap (difficulty: hard).

Crazy Cap makes the effort to expand their wardrobe tremendously following Bowser’s defeat, and they grow it further still following the acquisition of more power moons. Many of the outfits on offer are wonderfully creative, and make no shortage of references to the much adored Super Mario 64. The catch? They’re ferociously expensive. Many range within the one thousand to two thousand coin price range, but one even totals nine-hundred and ninety-nine thousand. Not only is that a lot of nines, but it’s also the maximum amount of coinage Mario can hold at any one time. So, time to start breaking boxes and saving up the cash.

Control every foe via capture, and unlock every piece of music (difficulty: easy).

Whilst this poses little challenge in theory, missing a capture opportunity for an obscure enemy, or failing to whack every radio scattered throughout the game (unlocking extra songs), is an easy trap to stumble into. I personally failed to initially realize that the Fire Piranha Plant can be captured and controlled, provided that a rock is kicked into its toothy mouth to temporarily render it defenseless. It also slipped my mind to hurl Cappy at the Wooded Kingdom’s radio, meaning that my playable music list (which is unlocked upon completion of Super Mario Odyssey’s main story) was lacking one final song. It’s a wise idea to always be on the lookout for various unlockables, from the overtly obvious to the miscellaneously minuscule.

Super Mario Odyssey is a sponge for free time, and with so much to see and do, it’s more than worth its price tag. Having immersed myself fully within its world before draining it of everything it has to offer me, I now feel somewhat lost. On the one hand, I’m ready to put this hat-obsessed odyssey to bed and move on to other experiences within the universe of video games. However, on the other hand, I’m going to immensely miss the uniquely bustling world I became a part of, the endearingly charming characters I grew to care for, and the mustached hero that I proudly fought alongside. When I was three years old, I was introduced to video games for the very first time when I played Super Mario Bros. 3. Twenty years later, I played Super Mario Odyssey, and the sensation of delight was staggeringly strong in both instances.

Should you be lucky enough to be playing Super Mario Odyssey for yourself, I implore you to continuously push forward as far as you can. Acquiring nine-hundred and ninety-nine power moons, whilst providing an underwhelming in-game reward, is the true way to conclude this magical quest.