MARIO’S HAT ISN’T JUST A NICE ACCESSORY In past 3D Mario titles like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Sunshine, Mario’s hat has been nothing more than a simple ol’ hat. It featured the famous “M” which of course stands for the name of our favorite mustachioed plumber and it was just that one thing that if gone missing, would make Mario look a bit strange. But this time around in Super Mario Odyssey, Mario’s cap is named Cappy, and he serves not only as Mario’s ally throughout the game but lets Mario capture and pretty much possess most enemies that try to stop him in his journey to collect the power moons. Oh wait, did I say enemies? Scratch that. Mario can capture humans, taxi cabs, manholes, poles, fireballs, fish, and much much more. This new ability makes the adventure in Super Mario Odyssey that much grander and separates it from past 3D Mario titles. Being able to use all of these different abilities will add tons of replay value and provide numerous ways to play through the game. Now that sounds like a whole lot of fun to be had.

TIME TO PLAY DRESS-UP Ever get bored of wearing Mario’s classic outfit in every single Mario game? Well hang on to your chairs and fasten your seatbelt, because in Super Mario Odyssey, Mario has the ability to purchase and change into a slew of different costumes that will make you look fly as heck. At the crazy cap shop, you can use in-game currency to unlock some costumes that may look familiar if you have a history with other Mario titles. For example, you can unlock the construction worker outfit from Mario Maker, a doctor’s coat from Dr. Mario, and even a football player’s uniform from those annoying linebackers in Super Mario World. Note that these costumes do not give Mario any type of upgrade or special powers, but who cares? I just want to dress like a doctor for the heck of it; no need for super special healing abilities. There’s even an amiibo-specific costume that gives Mario access to a dress, the same dress that Princess Peach wears. If this doesn’t sound like the best game ever, I don’t know what does.

8-BIT PLATFORMING 3D Mario games like this one wouldn’t be what they were if it weren’t for the first Super Mario Bros. game that came out more than 30 years ago. Nintendo knows this, which is why they included these beautiful 8-bit retro-inspired sections in Super Mario Odyssey that we can’t wait to fully play through. There’s one of these sections in every world and they are accessed by jumping into a pixelated green pipe. These platforming sections hearken back to the NES days and gives you the feels like you wouldn’t imagine. What’s really awesome is that these 2D sections still take place in a 3D environment, which messes with your mind but still manages to look glorious.

SNAPSHOT MODE IS BASICALLY INSTAGRAM There have been so many moments in Super Mario games where I was like, “Oooh, I wish I could take a picture of this.” The Nintendo Switch does have screenshot functionality but it’s just not as cool as an actual in-game photo mode. Well, lo and behold, Super Mario Odyssey does indeed have a snapshot mode that lets you freeze time at any given moment to get the right angle. Super Mario Odyssey truly focuses on exploration and seeing new things that Mario has never laid his eyes on before, so it only makes sense for Nintendo in include this option in-game. You’ll be able to play around with a couple of different options like filters, shot angles, zoom effects, and camera movement. You’ll be, of course, be able to share your glorious photos with your friends via Twitter and Facebook, so you can show them how much of a better photographer you are than them.