Super Mario Odyssey guide, walkthrough and tips: A complete guide to Mario's huge Switch adventure

Everything you need to know about the huge Switch adventure.

Guide by Dom Reseigh-Lincoln Contributor

Updated on Feb. 22, 2018

Super Mario Odyssey, the plumber's first visit to the Nintendo Switch console since it launched, is a pretty massive game, featuring collectibles, bosses, and secrets scattered across a multitude of worlds and areas.

Our Super Mario Odyssey guide is here on this page to help with plenty of those specifics, where we've gathered a number of individual pages together into one handy list, whilst our Super Mario Galaxy walkthrough, which you can find the contents to below, is where you'll find advice for progressing through every step of the main story objectives.

Super Mario Odyssey walkthrough contents

Super Mario Odyssey, as you might have noticed from a glance at that whopping great list below, is quite large.

It's a chaotic game - not strictly linear, but with a series of just about linear objectives that you pick up. Where there's a branching option of which world to go to next, we've simply chosen one to lead with first and noted that at the time. But without any more talking, let's dive in! Just note that you'll find plenty of general tips and tricks for making your life easier a little further below.

Cap Kingdom

Cascade Kingdom

Sand Kingdom

Lake Kingdom

Wooded Kingdom

Cloud Kingdom

Super Mario Odyssey - Nimbus Arena boss fight, Cloud Kingdom Power Moon locations

Lost Kingdom

Metro Kingdom

Snow Kingdom

Seaside Kingdom

Luncheon Kingdom

Ruined Kingdom

Bowser's Kingdom

Moon Kingdom

Post-game Kingdom (complete the game)

Dark Side of the Moon and Darker Side bonus worlds (unlock 250 and 500 Moons respectively)

Super Mario Odyssey guide - all the individual guides and advice you'll need

As well as our whopping great walkthrough further down the page, and our tips and tricks beyond that, there are several specific things you might want a hand with as you go.

Most obviously will be the locations of all 250 Power Moons (at least the initial 250... but more on that the Moons guide...) but we also have pages on all sorts of other handy things, like where to look for finding the Purple Regional Coins, and how to get all the various outfits and collectibles in the game.

Super Mario Odyssey tips, tricks, and other things to know

You'll pick up plenty of neat little tricks of your own just by playing through the game, but in our experience there are several that'll really help to know in advance. He're a selection of our best tips and tricks for helping that adventure go smoothly.

Super Mario Odyssey tips and tricks:

Press 'ZL' in midair to a Ground Pound. This can activate buttons or defeat enemies. In fact, some enemies can only be defeated with this move...
Pressing 'B' when you hit the ground after a Ground Pound can also grant you slightly higher jump, perfect for reaching high up ? Boxes.
There are lots of different ways to throw Capy (Upward Throw, Spin Throw, etc) but the basic throw (press 'Y') and the Cap Throw and Hold (hold 'Y') are all you'll need to complete most of this adventure.
You can check all your moves - and their motion control instructions - in the Action Guide. Just press '+' and select it from the list that appears.
Gold coins regenerate every time you return to a kingdom. Farm them when you can as they pay for Hats, Outfits, Stickers, Souvenirs and much, much more. They also serve as lives. You'll lose some every time you die, so always have a decent amount stocked.
Purple Coins are relevant only to the kingdom in which they were collected. They can only be spent in the Crazy Cap store in that kingdom. They also don't regenerate, so if you see some, grab them while you are there!
Some items in Crazy Cap stores can be bought with gold coins. Some can only be purchased with Purple Coins. Check each shop's list to know which.
If you want an easy Moon from each Kingdom, visit the gold coin vendor of the Crazy Cap store and you can simply buy one.
Falling from a great height cannot hurt you, but fall from a high enough height and you'll freeze momentarily when you hit the ground. This could leave you open to attack...

Want to track your Power Moons? Press '-', then press 'Y' to bring up Lists. You can then flick between the Power Moon List, Capture List, Souvenir List and Music List (this last one is unlocked after completing the main story).
Each kingdom has a Talkatoo. A hat-wearing cockatoo that offers three Power Moon hints per kingdom. These will add the Power Moon name to your lists, but not the location.
Beside the Odyssey on each kingdom will be a blue Hint Toad. Speak to him and he'll add the location of a Power Moon in that kingdom to your list. However, it won't add the name of it, so you'll have to go searching. Each hint costs 50 gold coins.
Most large enemies can be possessed with Capy, but almost all small ones (Small Goombas, Spinies, etc) cannot be controlled and will disappear when hit.
Due to the possession mechanic, most enemies regenerate after a few seconds, so don't get caught off guard. This includes smaller enemies as well.
Many enemies also wear hats. This means you'll need to hit them with Capy twice in order to possess them. Always keep your eyes peeled as those extra few seconds for a second hit can often be costly when under pressure.
Always activate a checkpoint (turning the flag from a Bowser symbol on a black background to an M on a red background). These become fast travel points that you can access at any time from the Map (press '-').
Can't workout where to go next in the story? Look out for a tall pillar of multi-coloured light. This marks the next objective on your agenda.
Still struggling to know where to go? Look out for green and yellow Binoculars robot. Hit it with Capy to send its head high into the air. You can now scan the map from above in real-time, zooming in on key landmarks.
You have three health chunks for the entire game and this cannot be upgraded. However, you can buy a Life-Up Heart from the Crazy Cap store, which adds three extra chunks of health. Once all three extra chunks have been used up, they won't regenerate.

Activating a checkpoint and collecting Power Moons will fully restore your health. This will also restore a second wheel of health if there is at least one chunk in this second wheel remaining (so at least four chunks in total).
Look out for red and gold doors with hat symbols on them. These are secret levels that require you to compete a special task to earn a Power Moon. However, there is always a second Power Moon hidden away, as well as the possibility of Purple Coins. If you're unsure if you have found everything, complete it as normal then re-enter, and Cappy will tell you if you've done everything - or have left something behind.
Some Power Moons are split into Moon Shards. These will all be within the same area, and you'll need five to unlock the full Moon.
There are racing challenges (such as Koopa Freerunning) on many of the kingdoms in Super Mario Odyssey. Running as Mario will usually mean you're too slow, so opt for long jumps (run, crouch then jump) instead. You can't hit the other racers with your cap. Instead, try and possess a neaby enemy for an edge...
There are scarecrows in every kingdom. These are timed challenges that task you with manouvering around a small assault course to gain a Power Moon.
Burning yourself by landing on magma or poison will cause Mario to bounce and speed up slightly. If you're traversing an area with small platforms, be mindful of these brief acrobatic phase.
Spoilers here... after completing the game, you'll find a glowing silver cube in each kingdom. This is a post-game feature that adds more Power Moons on top of the one's you could collect before.
Not ever Power Moon can be collected during the story. Many can only be found after completing that kingdom's objectives or the entire story.
And finally, you can't use Capy when in an 8-bit, 2D section. Old school 2D Mario mechanics apply!