Super Mario Odyssey trailer, release date, news and features

Update: Say goodbye to Game Over! According to Eurogamer, Super Mario Odyssey will drop the traditional Game Over screen. In a post on the official Japanese Super Mario Odyssey Twitter feed, Nintendo said that players will lose coins when they fail and that's it.

Now, when Mario's health drops below zero in the game you'll lose 10 coins. Apparently even if you die with 9 coins or less in the bank you won't have to face a Game Over screen, either. Now that Mario's getting back into the open world this move should greatly encourage the sense of freedom and exploration that Nintendo is aiming for with Odyssey.

We got hands on with the game at this year's E3 so keep reading to find out what we thought!

Super Mario Odyssey is going to take us all over the world, and all throughout time. From underwater worlds to the age of the dinosaurs, the new 3D Mario game will have an incredibly diverse range of environments.

The release of a new Super Mario game is always a momentous event, and the famous mascot's Nintendo Switch debut will surely be no exception.

After playing it firsthand at E3 2017, we can say with absolute assuredness that Super Mario Odyssey will be the most ambitious adventure the character has ever been involved with, offering more freedom and scope than ever before.

Need to get up to speed on this Switch exclusive? You've come to the right place.

Cut to the chase

What is it? The next 3D Super Mario game following Super Mario 3D World
When it is out? October 27, 2017
What system will it be on? Nintendo Switch, exclusively
How much will it cost? TBA, but Switch games usually retail for around $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.95

Super Mario Odyssey trailers

Odyssey's latest trailer was unveiled at E3 207 and it showed Mario really putting some stamps in his passport. In it, we saw a new dinosaur level and one of Mario's new tricks: using his hat to take control of enemies and NPCs.

Check it out for yourself below:

While that gameplay trailer is the latest one to come from Nintendo, the big N showed off the first footage of Super Mario Odyssey during the initial Switch reveal in October 2016, and followed this with a more detailed video before the console launched in March of this year. You can check out of those both below.

Super Mario Odyssey release date

E3 2017 also provided us a solid release date for Mario's next outing to rescue the princess – October 27, 2017.

Nintendo has yet to mention any special editions of the game, but it has announced three new amiibo figures to commemorate the launch: Tuxedo Mario, Tuxedo Bowser and Wedding Dress Princess Peach.

Super Mario Odyssey confirmed features

Super Mario Odyssey isn’t a direct sequel to the Galaxy franchise despite having a suspiciously similar premise. In both games, Mario transverses a number of unrelated worlds, called Kingdoms in Odyssey, in the search of missing cosmic planetoids. That’s not even mentioning gameplay which feels more like a speedier Mario 64 than it does 3D World.

Here's what we know about the game based off the trailers, and two 10-minute hands on sessions with the game.

A more open world

Following the self-contained, level-by-level approach taken by Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Odyssey will opt for a more open-ended setup, similar to Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine with several large, interconnected worlds called Kingdoms.

That means the scope for exploration has the potential to be massively increased; perhaps Super Mario Odyssey will offer even more replayability than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which has been praised for its sandbox setup and massive game world.

You'll travel from world to world in your rocket ship, and each world will have its own form of currency, unique purple coins.

Varied locations

Mario's previous adventures have taken him to many familiar locations in the Mushroom Kingdom, but this new outing marks something of a departure for the series as it will include semi-realistic environments. One stage – New Donk City – is based on New York and boasts pedestrians, vehicles and tall skyscrapers. We've also seen a desert landscape similar to Kalimari Desert from Mario Kart 64, and a lush jungle landscape filled with dinosaurs.

More moves

Exploring this sandbox world will allow players to make use of Mario's incredible repertoire of moves, which has evolved considerably over the past few decades.

As well as hopping onto the heads of enemies, grabbing onto ledges and jumping off walls, the portly plumber will also be able to make use of his sentient cap (appropriately named Cappy), which can be thrown to create temporary platforms, fight off foes and even possess enemies entirely.

Buddy creatures

Mario isn't a stranger to teaming up with the local wildlife to overcome issues – the dinosaur-like Yoshi was introduced in Super Mario World and has since become a major hero in his own right – and Super Mario Odyssey looks set to continue this trend. During the game's trailer Mario is seen leaping onto the back of a what appears to be a lion statue, which then magically springs to life and dashes across the desert level. In our hands on time with the game, we've seen Mario use his cap to control a stone effigy to cross some quicksand, and assume the form of a Bullet Bill to soar over cavernous ravines.

A more challenging experience

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has already confirmed that Super Mario Odyssey will return to the roots of the character, and that it would appeal to veteran players who have perhaps drifted away from the series due to its casual-friendly approach in recent years. We wouldn't go expecting a Dark Souls-like slog, but it would be wise to anticipate a game which will put your reflexes to the test.

Spare some change

Coins have been part of the Super Mario series since day one, offering the player something to collect and (eventually) earn additional lives. As the series has progressed coins have become less about extending your playtime and more about collectability, but in Super Mario Odyssey it would seem that Nintendo has some fresh ideas. In the trailer, we see several different coin types to grab, including the new purple coins that can be exchanged for new costumes and aesthetic upgrades for your ship.

This wouldn't be the first time different types of coins have been present in a Super Mario game (the Mario Wiki has an exhaustive list if you want to see what's come before), but its good to see Nintendo experimenting with different collectables.

Deeper interaction

During the Super Mario Odyssey trailer, Mario is shown interacting with several other characters – in New Donk City, for example, he enjoys some skipping rope action with two ladies, and in another location dances with locals to music playing from a sound system. Could this hint at a deeper level of interaction within the game world, almost like an RPG, or are these sequences merely cut-scenes taken from the game?

Fresh enemies

Bowser has been the cause of Mario's problems since day one, and as you'd expect he's going to be the main antagonist in Super Mario Odyssey – during the trailer, he kidnaps Princess Peach (again) and is intent on marrying her.

However, Bowser won't be the only foe Mario has to face in this new outing; as well as a wide selection of new grunts to tackle, we're shown a group of rather malevolent-looking bunny rabbits riding on an airship not entirely dissimilar to the ones first witnessed in Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES.

At the conclusion of the trailer, Mario is thrown from a tall building by a robotic caterpillar. Are these new creatures merely underlings of Bowser, or could they be even more sinister than that?

Super Mario Odyssey wish list

Given that we still know relatively little about Super Mario Odyssey it's unsurprising that we have a list as long as your arm of features we'd love to see, but here are a few of the best selections.

Regular updates via DLC

Nintendo has recently committed to expanding the world of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with DLC content and we'd love to see the same approach taken with Super Mario Odyssey. While some people begrudge having to pay cash for extra levels, if Nintendo times it right then DLC could keep the game alive for much longer.

Some form of multiplayer

Super Mario 3D World was tremendous fun with four players involved, and while Nintendo hasn't shown any multiplayer footage for Odyssey so far, we sincerely hope there's at least the option to play through the game in co-op with another player.

Loads of new power-ups

Mario's arsenal has grown over the years and he can call upon the likes of mushrooms, fire-flowers, cat-suits and much more besides. What we're really like to see with Odyssey is all of these classic items appearing alongside a raft of inventive new power-ups. Nintendo has traditionally added just a handful of new examples in each game but this time around we hope the company gets really creative and runs riot. Oh, and please let Super Mario Sunshine's F.L.U.D.D. backpack make a return.