History YMMV / SuperMarioOdyssey

** Mario's ability to possess certain enemies and objects have drawn some humorous comparisons to [[VideoGame/{{Oddworld}} a different Odyssey]].
** The comparison of [[spoiler:Bowler Hat Guy gets even funnier considering that there is in fact a ''T. rex'' wearing a bowler hat in one of the levels]].

** The game's clothing customization, ability to posses certain creatures, "don't be scared" in the chorus of the main theme, and the release date (Oct. 27, 2017) coming right on the heels of Halloween the following week. Coincidence? Also, there is a level themed after the Day of the Dead, which takes place around the same time.
*** Similarly, ''Odyssey'' ended up releasing not long before ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'', another major work that dealt with the Day of the Dead and had the living protagonist interacting with friendly {{Calacas}}.

** A month before Mario released a game introducing a team of five color-coded villains who help the main villain, [[VideoGame/SonicMania Sonic did the exact same thing.]] They even use the exact same colors!

** Ironically enough, both ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' and this game allow you to customize characters (you can gain and switch clothes on Mario in ''Odyssey'', and likewise gain more outfits for the Avatar/Rookie character in ''Forces'').

** Many a player who's been to New York City would know who the Naked Cowboy is. This has led quite a few people to wear the Boxer Shorts and Cowboy Hat together before entering New Donk City!

** Long before ''Odyssey'' was even conceived, ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' featured a Halloween episode where Gumball and Darwin, having ended up as ghosts, decide to go [[https://youtu.be/6oT2bFUSH7A?t=42 possess things and locals]] of their hometown, including a recurring Tyrannosaurus-character. [[http://indygnayshon.tumblr.com/post/166890683455/hoehhehheh-holy-flipping-shit This post on Tumblr]] made an instant note about it after the E3-trailer's release.
---> '''Gumball:''' "You know what would be fun? Being a ''[[TRexpy T. rex]]''!"
** A famous platforming mascot putting a sentient object commonly worn on his head onto enemies to gain control of their powers...[[VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans where have we]] [[VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant seen this before?]]

[[folder:I-L]]

* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: [[spoiler:People actually did think that the game was going to end with Mario finally marrying Peach. Instead, she rejects Mario and Bowser out of frustration. But whether she would've accepted if Bowser hadn't butted in on Mario's proposal is up for interpretation.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:M-N]]

** Among the costumes that you can unlock in the game are [[spoiler:a football costume]] and [[spoiler:a king costume]]. So this means that, [[spoiler:adding the fact that Mario has a mustache and you can go to space via the moon]], [[StealthPun you can be]] [[spoiler:[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants a football playing king in space! With a mustache.]]]]

%% ** The motion controls are this for some players.

** Before the 1.2 update, getting all of the gold coin costumes (especially the Skeleton outfit) and buying the 119 Moons needed to bring the Odyssey's total to 999 required a lot of tedious coin grinding. The fastest way to get coins was to do a particular sub-section in [[spoiler:Bowser's Kingdom]] over and over again — a perfect run of the level netted 180 coins, and your required total was typically 10,000-20,000. The 1.2 update introduced Luigi's Balloon World, a post-game minigame that gives out coins in spades, allowing players to quickly get the gold they need to get those {{Last Lousy Point}}s and have fun while doing it. However, the minigame requires an internet connection, so for those in a vehicle or otherwise without internet, the problem remains until they can connect.[[note]]And as with any feature that requires an internet connection, it can be discontinued at any time.[[/note]]

** Some months before the game's unveiling, conceptual videos of [[http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/27/8857465/heres-mario-in-an-unreal-engine-4-game Mario running around in realistic Unreal 4 environments]] were kind of a thing, with people arguing that didn't fit the series' aesthetic. Now the game's revealed and one stage is indeed a mundane metropolis complete with realistic people (and a returning Pauline as it's mayor).
** A few fans across the two franchises tend to state (jokingly or otherwise) that ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' "stole" from ''Mario'' in a number of ways, the most well-known being the style of ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', which was often compared to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''[[note]]nevermind that Sonic actually did it first in a level of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''[[/note]]. This time, it seems the plumber is the one taking a little inspiration from his ex-rival, if the comparisons made to ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' purely on the trailer seem to be any indication. The addition of a ''vocal theme song'', a first in ''Mario'' history, which Sonic games have been doing as early as ''1993'', only compounded the comparisons, as well as Mario's ability to curl up into a ball and roll to gain speed, one of Sonic's signature abilities. Also, Mario spills coins when he dies which can be recollected, similar to Sonic spilling rings upon taking damage, and Pauline's voice actress in this game, Creator/KateHiggins, previously provided the voice of Tails in ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and ''Lost World''. Odyssey even borrows heavily from ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', in the idea of a colorful mascot embarking on a world adventure with a cute little sidekick and an major gameplay gimmick centered around a transformation.

* {{Moe}}: Cappy. Just Cappy. Between his innocent appearance, cute-sounding voice, and overall chipper personality, he can be ''very'' hard not to find adorable. Ditto for his sister Tiara, who is just as adorable if not more so.

* {{Moe}}: Cappy. Just Cappy. Between his innocent appearance, cute-sounding voice, and overall chipper personality, he can be ''very'' hard not to find adorable. Ditto for his sister Tiara, who is just as adorable if not ''[[UpToEleven more so]]''.

* HarsherInHindsight: The Zombie Mario costume was added not long before the death of Mario Segale, Mario's real-life namesake. It's also more harsh considering Mario Segale passed away on Odyssey's 1 year anniversary (October 27th 2018).

** One of the standard complaints about several 3D ''Mario'' games are that most bosses aren't particularly challenging. This game works at rectifying that by having the bosses change up their attack patterns after each hit and not all of them are of the "hit the boss on the head" variety. Even if they are, it takes much more effort to do the bop. Likewise, the repeated boss fights with the Broodals adds different phases to their fights, and shortcuts to skip counterattack phases. The bosses are still rather easy, but they’re much less predictable and easy to exploit making them much more engaging than most Mario bosses. L

** Goombette, a female Goomba who appears in some worlds who will give you a Moon if you can reach her as a Goomba. She's gotten lots of fanart for her very cute design with a NiceHat, and for her resemblance to Goombella from ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor.''

** A few fans across the two franchises tend to state (jokingly or otherwise) that ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' "stole" from ''Mario'' in a number of ways, the most well-known being the style of ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', which was often compared to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''. This time, it seems the plumber is the one taking a little inspiration from his ex-rival, if the comparisons made to ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' purely on the trailer seem to be any indication. The addition of a ''vocal theme song'', a first in ''Mario'' history, which Sonic games have been doing as early as ''1993'', only compounded the comparisons, as well as Mario's ability to curl up into a ball and roll to gain speed, one of Sonic's signature abilities. Also, Mario spills coins when he dies which can be recollected, similar to Sonic spilling rings upon taking damage, and Pauline's voice actress in this game, Creator/KateHiggins, previously provided the voice of Tails in ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and ''Lost World''. Odyssey even borrows heavily from ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', in the idea of a colorful mascot embarking on a world adventure with a cute little sidekick and an major gameplay gimmick centered around a transformation.

** The level of detail on Mario in the official art. His overalls are clearly made of denim, his shirt is clearly made from a jersey knit. There are seams everywhere you'd expect seams to be. And though it may dip into the UncannyValley, the detail in Mario's hair and mustache is also pretty cool. The design might be the most realistic-looking Mario design ever next to that of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl''.

** Previous ''Mario'' games such as the ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' series were praised for their gameplay, but criticized for recycling the same basic VideoGameSettings with little variation or mixing and matching. The levels in ''Odyssey'' exhibit a huge variety of creative designs that emphasize surprise and variation, even if that makes them dip into the UncannyValley a little bit.

* UncannyValley:

*** On the negative side of things, some argue that Peach is an {{Ungrateful B|astard}}itch for [[spoiler:giving Mario literally no reward for saving her this time despite all the trouble he repeatedly goes through to rescue her; from what we've seen, not even a thank you.]] There's also the fact that she leaves her entire kingdom without a ruler, on seemingly no notice and apparently not telling ''any'' of her subjects that she decided to go off on vacation, considering the fact that all the toads in Mushroom Kingdom seem confused and scared at her absence.

*** On the negative side of things, some argue that Peach is an {{Ungrateful B|astard}}itch for [[spoiler:giving Mario literally no reward for saving her this time despite all the trouble he repeatedly goes through to rescue her; from what we've seen, not even a thank you.]]

* {{Woolseyism}}: In the Spanish translation, Tostarena's name is translated as ''Soltitlán'', being a Spanish pormanteau from ''Sol'' (Sun) and the Nahuatl suffix ''-titlan'', which means "place of the (insert adjetive)". Basically it could be translated as "Land of the Sun" in English.

* WhatAnIdiot
** Twice in the game, Bowser attacks the Odyssey: first in the Cloud Kingdom and again over the Ruined Kingdom.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' Bowser to descend to the grounded Odyssey and kill Mario and Cappy right then and there.\\
'''Or:''' He'd completely obliterate the Odyssey, leaving Mario stranded and eliminating any chance of further pursuit.\\
'''Instead:''' He just leaves with his airship, Peach, and all the wedding paraphernalia he and the Broodals had looted to this point.\\
'''As A Result:''' Mario finds enough Power Moons to repair the Odyssey and resumes pursuit.
** When Mario and Cappy encounter Bowser and the Ruined Dragon en route to Bowser's Kingdom...\\
'''You'd Expect:''' They'd flee and find a window of opportunity to retaliate.\\
'''Instead:''' [[TooDumbToLive They just stand there]], giving the Ruined Dragon more than enough time to zap the Odyssey, sending it into free fall.
** By the end of the game, Mario finally crashes Bowser and Peach's wedding.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' Peach would pull a ScrewThisImOuttaHere and escape with Mario.\\
'''Instead:''' All she and Tiara do is stand there staring at him.\\
'''Unsurprisingly:''' Bowser pulls them both into his grasp.

** Mollusque-Lanceur's first fight since it doesn't happen in a closed off arena but the main portion of the Seaside Kingdom which means all the enemies and obstacles from the level stay intact and increases the chance of you getting hurt.

** While the [[spoiler: BossRush with the Broodals on the Dark Side of the Moon]] isn't extremely easy – [[spoiler: as it being a BossRush reduces your room for error]] – it's disappointing that one of the bonuses for getting more stars than the story demands is ''yet another'' fight against the oft-reappearing wedding planners, who weren't difficult in their previous appearances. In a striking lack of imagination in a game that is usually full of it, the fights are literally RecycledInSpace and just strung together with only minor alterations, such as reduced gravity and the [[spoiler: [=RoboBrood=]]] being fought with a Hammer Bro this time.

** Pauline, for not just [[TheBusCameBack coming back]], but coming back as a singer and ''mayor'' of New Donk City.

** Some months before the game's unveiling, conceptual videos of [[http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/27/8857465/heres-mario-in-an-unreal-engine-4-game Mario running around in realistic Unreal 4 environments]] were kind of a thing, with people arguing that didn't fit the series' aesthetic. Now the game's revealed and one stage is indeed a mundane metropolis complete with realistic people.

** When the game was first revealed, [[http://clippy.tumblr.com/post/155797119838/super-mario-odyssey one fan]] was inspired to clumsily edit Mario's hat and mustache onto a photo of [[{{Pun}} a Honda Odyssey]]. Then later gameplay videos revealed Mario has the ability to possess people and objects, including cars.

** The beginning of October 2017 saw the release of the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' remake, which features Luigi cross-dressing. This game, released at the end of October 2017, features Mario cross-dressing instead (if the player so chooses).

** Mario saying Peach's name is a wonderful thing to hear, since that's not something that happens very often.

** Sphinxes and moai heads aren't newcomers to the ''Mario'' series. They were present as enemies in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand''.

** When Mayor Pauline was first revealed to be returning, many fans began drawing art shipping her with Peach. Although they've never interacted before (and don't directly interact here, either; the closest they come is when Pauline [[spoiler:is forced to attend Bowser's Wedding on the moon]]), they have some similarities: they're both authority figures, both were/are Mario's love interest, and while Peach is wearing a wedding dress, Pauline's mayor attire is a suit.

*** New Donk City (aka The Metro Kingdom) itself as it represents the first impression most people got of this game and the console since it was used in the early preview material prior to the Switch's launch. Nintendo also capitalized on this by using it as the setting for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xW9aCg2zY commercials for the game]].

** Pauline's appearance as New Donk's mayor was likely one of the last things players expected, even with New Donk City being a stand-in for New York. To put this into perspective, Pauline had been relegated to the ''Mario vs Donkey Kong'' series and the closest to a main series appearance she had was the original ''Donkey Kong'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong94''.

* MemeticMutation:
** The game has invited many comparisons to ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', especially with how Mario runs around in a huge city with realistic-looking humans. It also draws comparisons to ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' (which also had a level based on New York, as well as ''Odyssey'' taking a small amount of the former game's "'round the world" style) and ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic '06]]'' ([[UncannyValley because]] [[NeverLiveItDown of course it does]]). The second trailer which revealed the game has a ''vocal theme song''. To further compound the comparisons to the ''Sonic'' series, [[Creator/KateHiggins the singer of said vocal theme song]] used to voice Tails, which hasn't gone unnoticed either. Fans were quick to nickname ''Super Mario Odyssey'' as ''Mario Adventure'', ''Mario '06'' (or ''Mario '17''), and ''Mario Unleashed''.
** "Mario finally made it back to Brooklyn!" due to New Donk City's resemblance to New York.
** On that note, the name "New Donk City" itself.
** Bowser's stylish new suit by itself has reached this, leading to a number of pimp and ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' jokes.
** Quite a few jokes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih323XXu_3w have been made]] comparing the city levels to ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto''.
** Mario's hat now has eyes, reminding fans of ''Creator/{{Rare}}'' (and by extension, ''Playtonic Games'')'s tendency to put eyes on inanimate objects. Playtonic even commented on this in [[http://twitter.com/PlaytonicGames/status/819936399839346688 a tweet.]]
** The sight of Mario and Bowser tossing their hats like boomerangs have also provoked comparisons to [[Film/{{Goldfinger}} Oddjob]] and [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Robert E. O. Speedwagon]], with a few going as far as to nickname the game "Super Mario Oddjob".
** ''T. Rex'' Mario became this almost immediately after the game's E3 trailer, thanks to the sheer insane factor in his appearance in the trailer (complete with Mario hat and mustache) and being an awesome addition to the game.
** Related to the ''T. Rex'', jokes that it is Yoshi are prominent, which is both a MythologyGag and HilariousInHindsight because Yoshi was a realistic baby ''Tyrannosaurus'' in the live-action ''Mario'' movie. [[spoiler:It's made even ''more'' HilariousInHindsight by Yoshi also being in the game, and Capturable to boot!]]
** [[WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons "I have a big head and little arms!"]] has picked up steam with Mario's demonstration of the Capture ability (which lets him control creatures, people, and objects with his hat) on a Tyrannosaurus Rex, with other comparisons [[http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/265/113/98e.png following suit]].
** With the announcement of the new Toys/{{amiibo}} for this game, there's been plenty of jokes about [[OneTrueThreesome Mario, Peach, and Bowser all getting married together]], or buying [[FoeYay just Mario and Bowser to have a gay marriage.]]
** Mario looking unnatural compared to the regular humans of New Donk City and his newfound ability to possess people has led to jokes about him [[HumanoidAbomination not being human]].
** There's also jokes about how Mario is actually the hat, and has been possessing the corpse of an Italian man for 30 years.
** [[https://twitter.com/moonjam/status/874665534058631168 "u throw ur hat on a frog & ur the frog".]] This gained even more traction when frogs turned out to be the very first thing Captured in the game.
** Mario's new [[GrandTheftMe Capture ability]] has inspired people to create edits and fanart of practically ''anything'' and putting Mario's hat, mustache, and/or blue eyes to show that he's possessing them. These types of edits and fanart have been used for both humor and... [[Rule34 other things]].
** After the 9/13 Direct showed off a costume of Mario in swim trunks, many have been focusing on Mario's nipples, and, to a lesser extent, the fact that he's hairless, aside from his head and facial hair.
** It's been joked that the lyric, "It's time to raise our sails" is actually Nintendo declaring, "[[KillerApp It's time to raise our]] ''[[KillerApp sales]]''."
** [[https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/games/reviews/super-mario-odyssey-review-marvellous-mario-embarks-on-his-greatest-adventure-36262391.html A review]] that gave the game a ''[[BrokeTheRatingScale 6/5]]'' garnered some buzz.
** The fact that Cappy (when possessing Mario's hat, at least) is a sentient piece of clothing with eyes with a red and black motif, combined with Bowser's tux having a white and blue color scheme, have led to people making joking comparisons between ''Odyssey'' and ''Anime/KillLaKill'' (combined with some bizarre fanart).
** "[[WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty I've turned myself into Mario, Morty!]]". Mario's MadScientist outfit with wildly messy white hair and an open doctor's coat has resulted in a number of comparison jokes to [[WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty Rick]].
** Thanks to [[spoiler:his castle having a heavy {{Wutai}} aesthetic]], jokes about Bowser becoming a weeaboo have become pretty popular.
** The [[spoiler:[=RoboBrood=] boss has been jokingly compared to the Metal Gear mechs]] in the ''Metal Gear'' series.
** The game lets you mix and match hats and outfits. This resulted in people [[http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/308/733/1f3.png mixing]] the Cowboy Hat with the Caveman costume and making [[WebVideo/TheMisadventuresOfSkooks "the caveman is the sheriff"]] jokes.
** If you watch someone livestream the game, you can expect the chat to light up with "[[Videogame/NierAutomata BECOME AS GODS]]" whenever Mario captures anything.
*** This goes double for playing through the Wooded Kingdom in particular, which gets a lot of jokes about its resemblance to ''Nier Automata'' (in particular the flowers and the factory areas), as well as the final battleground of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3''.
** After hearing the awesome theme to "Honeylune Ridge: Escape", many have declared that Mario's anime theme is awesome, due to it sounding like it belongs in one, especially its Japanese version.
** "Hey you we ma tard!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Rango's dialogue in the Lake Kingdom is almost ''always'' misheard by major [=YouTubers=] as this line. You can expect most [=YouTubers=] to say this almost immediately after hearing this line.[[/labelnote]]
** Other mishearings include the New Donker Crazy Cap employee [[SpeakingSimlish "saying"]] "[[SoulSuckingRetailJob I just want to die]]", and Topper yelling "[[PrecisionFStrike Go to hell!]]" before the Robobrood boss fight.
** Due to the large variety of costumes, hats and scenarios in the game, some fans started recreating covers from movies, mangas and comics, or just iconic scenes using the screenshot feature. Examples include: [[https://i.redd.it/yreua5ok7mzz.jpg It]], [[https://i.redd.it/4c2r459synzz.jpg The Wolf of Wall Street]], [[https://i.redd.it/0ez57t1h3ozz.jpg The Room]], [[https://i.redd.it/d4w7rw12znzz.jpg E. T.]], [[https://i.redd.it/sly5aqdctmzz.png Gravity]], [[https://i.redd.it/qc6t41bihnzz.jpg Jaws]], and [[https://imgur.com/gallery/XcDX9 Akira]].
** "(Comment about Mario's costume). Not that it matters, since you WEREN'T INVITED! So now it's time for you to make like a bouquet and get thrown out!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Before the final battle with Bowser, he will [[LampshadeHanging make a comment about the costume you're wearing]], and then say the following line.[[/labelnote]]
** [[DrivenToSuicide Mario jumps off a building]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Shots of Mario diving off buildings in New Donk City are used as shorthand for [[SuicideAsComedy the poster (jokingly) being driven to suicide by a piece of content]]. Some variations include a two-panel format with Mario giving an AsideGlance next to a computer, then diving off a bulding, or a four-panel format in which Mario is positioned so that it appears he's looking something up on the internet, the subsequent panel being something off-kilter or disturbing, and the last two panels being the AsideGlance and plummet off the building.[[/labelnote]]
** you dropped this [[labelnote:Explanation]]A frequent reaction meme showing Mario in the Cap Kingdom and "holding" something that was supposedly dropped by the user being replied to. The two most common variants are Mario holding a "[[https://i.imgflip.com/3jq8z8.jpg clown license]]" if the original user said something disagreeable or Mario holding a crown with the caption "[[https://stayhipp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/droppedthis.jpg you dropped this KING]]" for the opposite.[[/labelnote]]

** One of the standard complaints about several 3D ''Mario'' games are that most bosses aren't particularly challenging. This game works at rectifying that by having the bosses change up their attack patterns after each hit and not all of them are of the "hit the boss on the head" variety. Even if they are, it takes much more effort to do the bop, making for more engaging fights. Likewise, the repeated boss fights with the Broodals adds different phases to their fights, and shortcuts to skip counterattack phases.