The Design Behind Super Mario Odyssey | Game Maker's Toolkit

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:56:36 +0000

Super Mario Odyssey’s success can be traced back to the design philosophies we’ve discussed on earlier episodes of Game Maker’s Toolkit. Let’s look at how these different ideas have been put into practice, in Mario’s latest game.

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Sources

10 Things Nintendo Told Us About Super Mario Odyssey | TIME

The Definition of Idea | 1101

A Game Design Vocabulary: Exploring the Foundational Principles Behind Good Game Design | Amazon

How Nintendo turned Super Mario Odyssey into the ultimate vacation | The Verge

Games shown in this episode (in order of appearance)

Arms (Nintendo, 2017)
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Retro Studios, 2014)
Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo, 2013)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, 2017)
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo, 2017)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo, 2013)
Splatoon 2 (Nintendo, 2017)
Luigi's Mansion (Nintendo, 2001)
Pikmin 3 (Nintendo, 2013)
Yoshi's Woolly World (Good-Feel, 2015)
Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1985)
Super Mario 64 (Nintendo, 1996)
Super Mario Sunshine (Nintendo, 2002)
Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo, 2007)
New Super Mario Bros. U (Nintendo, 2012)
Assassin's Creed: Origins (Ubisoft Montreal, 2017)
Kirby's Epic Yarn (Good-Feel, 2010)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo, 2011)
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Nintendo, 2004)

Music used in this episode

00:00 - File Select (Super Mario 64)
00:31 - To The Next Kingdom (Super Mario Odyssey)
01:23 - Steam Gardens (Super Mario Odyssey)
02:35 - Bubblaine (Super Mario Odyssey)
03:14 - New Donk City: Daytime (Super Mario Odyssey)
04:19 - Run, Jump, Throw! 2 (Super Mario Odyssey)
06:46 - Caves (Super Mario Odyssey)
07:17 - Another World (Super Mario Odyssey)
10:08 - Sheikah Tower (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
10:49 - Forgotten Isle 2 (Super Mario Odyssey)
11:23 - Main Theme (Super Mario Odyssey)
12:07 - Jolly Roger Bay (Super Mario 64)