Dear Viewers, We here at Treesicle accept and acknowledge
that Mario Odyssey came out a month ago and that this video is late.
However....I have a reason for that.
It was so damn good!
I just REAAALLLLYYY wanted to enjoy my time with it and delve into the magic and mystery
of the first traditional 3d Mario game in like: FOREVER.
So deal with it.
Obviously the entire universe is in agreement that Odyssey is awesome.
For the first time in a long time I was glued to the screen for what seemed like days on
end finding everything I could in the game, collecting all the costumes, and getting those
moons!
Oh gawd!
So many moons, and that jingle, it's so satisfying!
It makes me feel so accomplished!
I feel so fulfilled right now!
But we're not here to talk about my raging satisfaction, no.
We're here because along with its stunning visuals and excellent gameplay Mario Odyssey
also came with a hint.
A little, nugget of visual information that could change the way we look at the world
of Mario, NAY the world of Nintendo forever!
Something that brings us closer to finally understanding all the missing aspects of Mario
lore, and Nintendo continuity as a whole!
Yes gentle viewer; it's that big.
So come with me and you'll see a land of mario and wonder as we dig into the world of odyssey
OH GAWD YASSSSS
First off if you haven't played Mario Odyssey yet there will be spoilers, this theory delves
deep into the actual world of the game so if you don't want levels spoiled for you,
this is your warning.
Movin on!
Unlike any Mario game before in this new title we find our favorite "guy who used to be a
plumber" traveling across vast distances to different kingdoms which all exist on the
same planet.
...Alright well maybe that’s happened before, but what's really new is the MAP.
- Which is actually more of a satellite view of that planet but I digress…
This simple mechanic is an absolute game changer when it comes to the way we look at the world
of Mario!
Starting out in the cap 3kingdom and working your way across the globe you get a really
good idea of the scope of the world and the different places that exist within it.
Personally, I figured this was some alternate world Mario ended up in.
I thought it was gonna be a big story twist in the end revealing that Mario was asleep
again or something, but no; this globe we trot is Mario's home planet!
- Totally legit canon, and see this?
This little island shaped like a mushroom right here?
That's the Mushroom Kingdom.
That tiny piece of land is where 90% of Mario's adventures have taken place, including Paper
Mario games, Mario RPG, and the Mario Party games.
This also means that this island has just about every type of geographical formation
and climate on it as well.
Weird stuff!
It's only unlocked after beating the main story but it's bonus content is so revolutionary
I was stunned.
Before now there was never any indication of the way the Mushroom Kingdom worked or
even what it was.
Was it a nation?
Was it an entire world?
Was it a dimension??
No one knew!
But now we have definitive proof that it’s just a little freakin ISLAND!
This is crazy!
And if you're not convinced whether the Odyssey map is canon; let me direct you to this right
here.
Isle Delphino.
ANNNNND let me remind you that the castle you arrive at in the Mushroom Kingdom is Peach's
castle from Mario 64.
There's also Mario Galaxy's star bits flying around in the Moon Kingdom as well.
This ties ALL of the major 3D Mario games together in Odyssey.
Which is nuts.
See, there is a bigger picture here.
None of these things were done by accident.
Mario Odyssey is riddled with references to every Mario title from his first iteration
to Mario 3D Land.
But even more, and possibly more importantly is one of my favorite, and one of the most
iconic levels in the game: New Donk City.
Metro Kingdom is a region Mario visits about halfway through his adventure and it’s amazingly
designed and a great playground.
However, for our purposes it’s a giant clue to our puzzle which is the world of Mario.
Obviously New Donk is a reference to Donkey Kong.
Some of you may not know but Mario originally appeared as Jumpman in Donkey Kong; which
was released in arcades in 1981.
Jumpman's name was later retconned to be Mario in future titles.
Since then Mario and Donkey Kong have appeared together in many games but not in any MAIN
titles for either franchise.
This created the assumption that games which featured both characters took place in either
an alternate reality, or simply had no canon place in the world of either character.
However we now know that isn't the case.
Not only does New Donk City exist on the same planet as the Mushroom Kingdom but it doesn’t
just reference Donkey Kong as he was known specifically in the Mario franchise.
Throughout the city you will see ads and street signs which showcase the entire DK crew from
Diddy and Dixie to King K. Rool and even side characters like Rambi the Rhino!
Meaning not only does Donkey Kong exist within the official Mario cannon but so does all
of the Donkey Kong Country games as well as Kong Island.
This is significant because Nintendo didn't create the Donkey Kong we know now, they created
his GRANDFATHER who we know as Cranky Kong.
The DK in modern games is Donkey Kong JR's son and he and his crew were created by Rareware,
but it all still exists within the world of Mario.
So this map of the Mario world given to us in Odyssey hides many secrets.
Somewhere on it is a couple of places not specifically showcased; like Isle Delfino.
One of them being Kong Island and another one obviously being Yoshi's Island: the setting
for Super Mario World.
But what if there were more?
What if the map and game design are subtle attempts to hint towards a much larger picture
regarding the Nintendo universe?
I mean, why officially tie Mario and Donkey Kong back together now?
There has to be a point to it - other than nostalgia pandering.
Well, let's take a look at a few franchises we took as spin offs and non-canon: specifically
Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers.
Both of these games feature characters and levels from Mario games, notably the Mushroom
Kingdom and Isle Delfino as well as the Mario Galaxy level in Smash 4, but they also include
something from every other franchise represented in the roster as well.
Mario Kart 8 has courses ranging from Excitebike to the Animal Crossing Village and even Hyrule.
Super Smash Brothers is even more extensive in its character showcase.
Previously this was seen as an obvious use of assets from each game in order to properly
represent all the IP's, but can we still look at it this way?
Our buddy Brad over at Swankybox recently did a video on an old Mario comic featuring
Megaman and Dr. Light, and there's many more comics from that era featuring mashups like
Mario and Link as well.
With little inferences like these, the crossover series’ like Mario Kart and Super Smash
Brothers, and now Mario Odyssey directly tying in the RARE DK Universe to the Mario universe,
could Nintendo be working on something HUGE?
I think the answer is yes.
But I want to point out a couple more pieces of evidence.
The first being the ruined kingdom.
While this level is extremely small it gave us something entirely new in the Mario universe:
a realistic looking dragon in a torn down castle.
Lots of people have said it looks like a Dark Souls boss, and while I agree, I'd have to
say because it's Nintendo I would equate it to a Zelda boss... or a Fire Emblem boss.
Which is interesting…
There's also the realistic looking people from New Donk City and all of the drastically
different aesthetics and populations of each kingdom which shows how incredibly diverse
the planet is biologically and geographically, hell there's a whole region made out of food!
So what if, WHAT IF
the world of Odyssey isn't the "Mushroom Kingdom Planet".
What if it was Planet Nintendo.
Think about it, we have the Mario and Donkey Kong universes tied together on a planet which
includes all of the golf courses and sports arenas and racetracks and game lands from
all of the Mario spin-offs.
This leaves ONLY Super Smash Brothers in the ether!
The truly weird Nintendo characters live in space, like Samus and Captain Falcon, as well
as the Star Fox crew.
We know that Kirby lives on Planet Popstar, and the Pokemon are from the Pokemon world,
but what if all these planets and monsters and heroes all existed in the same universe?
What if Kirby comes crashing down on Mario’s planet or the space pirates kidnap Peach,
and Mario and Samus have to team up?
How about the more terrestrial characters like the ones from the Zelda and Fire Emblem
series?
Pit, R.O.B.
, Ness, Little Mac, what if all these characters exist on this Nintendo Planet we're just now
getting to see?
Given all the different environments and how none of the kingdoms tie together in any particular
way it's totally conceivable.
But why do this?
Because people love extended universes and mainline crossovers.
Look at the Marvel cinematic universe.
These have been some of the highest grossing films of all time, and certainly the most
consistently high grossing films of the past decade.
People LOVE seeing their favorite characters team up to save the day.
However, if you look at the DC cinematic universe you can't help but see how you have to BUILD
that universe up.
Marvel started small with a select group of well known heroes in individual films which
all did well separately, and then combined them in the Avengers to make one money making
powerhouse film.
DC, well, at least they have Wonder Woman.
Anyway, Nintendo now has the ability to make a canon Mario/Donkey Kong crossover game without
having to have it be a spinoff or alternative universe title.
The company is also working on a Mario movie which can now feature DK without breaking
or creating new canon as well.
Including all their characters they could easily follow Marvel and make a Super Smash
Brothers movie in 5 years if they play their cards right.
For now though we'll have to sit back and see what they do.
Maybe we'll get Mario Odyssey DLC and be able to visit the Hyrule Kingdom, or the Animal
Crossing Kingdom, who knows!
Regardless there's lots to speculate on and figure out regarding this new map!
But what do you think?
Do you think Nintendo is planning on tying all their franchises together into a Nintendo
extended universe?
Or do you think they're absorbing DK and that’s it?
Let me know in the comments below!
Personally I hope they combine everything and give us an extensive map of the Nintendo
Planet!
I'd love to know where on the map Giant Land from Mario 3 is!
And remember all the worlds in Mario 3 have different kings, so they must be kingdoms
as well!
Anyway, give the video a like if you liked it, and subscribe if you haven't yet!
But now it’s time for me to stop recording and play some more Odyssey, so I’ll have
to catch you all next time!
Tootles!