Super Mario Odyssey Ditches the Game Over Screen to Encourage Exploration
No matter how many times players subject Mario to an untimely demise, they will never have to worry about seeing a Game Over screen in Super Mario Odyssey.
This bit of info was revealed by the title’s Japanese Twitter account that was translated by Eurogamer. It explains that regardless of how many times Mario fails, the only punishment is losing 10 coins ala Sonic the Hedgehog style then appearing at the nearest checkpoint. Even if players have less than 10 coins in their inventory, they will still be able to continue playing, never having to worry about seeing a finite Game Over screen. This new change is to encourage players to explore the various kingdoms at their own leisure and pace, without fear of dying.
マリオの体力が0になったり、奈落に落ちると、持っているコインが10枚減ってしまいます。ただし…！いくらミスしてもGAME OVERはありません。 pic.twitter.com/6oEia6LcVr
— スーパーマリオ オデッセイ (@mario_odysseyJP) July 4, 2017
Coins play a much more important role in Super Mario Odyssey compared to past Mario games. Not only have they replaced the old lives and 1-Ups, but they can now be used as currency to purchase new outfits for Mario, some of which will grant him new powers and abilities. Also worth noting is that coins are littered about everywhere across the vast world, so there shouldn’t be any problem in obtaining a massive amount.
This is a rather surprising move from Nintendo who is essentially removing an iconic element not only from the series but from games as a whole. On the other hand, ripping players away every time they mess up discourages them from taking risks. Maybe Nintendo is on to something with this new 3D Mario title.
We’ll just have to wait and see when the game launches on October 27th on the Nintendo Switch. In the meantime, you can read our hands-on preview of the game from E3.