I started playing Super Mario Odyssey over the weekend and I've already collected about 100 moons, the in-game item that helps Mario power his spaceship, the Odyssey. That seems like a lot, but the game provides a staggering 999 moons to be found. Some of these are easy, part of the main quest and unmissable as Mario powers his way through unique worlds in search of Bowser and Princess Peach; others are a lot more intricate, either hidden away in secret passages, offered up by the cast of characters after doing something easy for them, or hidden in parts of the world that look like certain death.
While many open-world games feature collectibles dispersed throughout the journey, Super Mario Odyssey's gameplay hinges on collecting things. Mario has always had a penchant for doing this, from his early days with coins to the more advanced collection systems of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, and more. Super Mario Odyssey understands what made those other games classics in their own right (many people still speedrun through Super Mario 64 because of how fun it is) by doubling down on the gameplay and giving players even more things to collect.
That's a risky venture, too, because as mentioned previously, most contemporary video games go overboard with collectibles. Achievements involve searching high and low for 1000 glowing orbs or finding 500 pigeons. Instead of being fun, these things feel like a chore, just another thing to do in a vast world.
But Super Mario Odyssey doesn't force the player to find most of these moons, besides the easier ones that are out in the open. The fun comes when the player accidentally stumbles upon a new moon hidden secretly in a wall; there's a legitimate surprise to capturing this hidden item that doesn't seem like a job. If a player doesn't want to get all of the moons in a world, one doesn't have to - you can skip it and know that no integral part of the story was lost.
Thee moons have become an addiction for me. It's not because I feel like the game is forcing me to find them, but more so because Super Mario Odyssey does such a good job of placing them in areas that continue to develop the world even further. I want to find the moons because it opens up the level, or introduces me to something that I didn't know existed. It helps me farm coins to purchase new Mario costumes. It entices the completionist side of my personality.
The only problem with Super Mario Odyssey's moon collection is that it means losing many, many hours on the search.
