Power Moon
| Power Moon | |
|---|---|
| |
| First appearance | Super Mario Odyssey (2017) |
| Latest appearance | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Booster Course Pass, cameo) (2022) |
- “Why, I could never part with any of my precious Power Moons!”
- —Madame Broode, Super Mario Odyssey
Power Moons, or simply Moons, are collectible items in Super Mario Odyssey. Equivalent to the Power Stars in Super Mario 64 (and its remake), Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Shine Sprites in Super Mario Sunshine, they can be found in the various kingdoms of the game and are used to power the Odyssey, allowing Mario to reach additional kingdoms.
Moon Rocks are stated to be the raw form of the material that makes up Power Moons.[1]
History[edit]
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
Compared to the main collectables in previous games, the number of Power Moons per kingdom varies much more significantly, each having between one and 104 Moons to collect. Additionally, due to their greatly increased quantity, Mario does not leave the area once he collects one. They can be obtained in a wide variety of ways, such as collecting a Key, five Moon Shards, a sequence of notes, planting Seeds in pots, through the Slots minigame, or talking to people. Each kingdom also has a unique Power Moon available in Crazy Cap, which can be bought for 100 coins. In the post-game, these can be bought in infinite supply, although they only count towards raising the global Power Moon count. When collected, Power Moons restore the player's Health Meter, air meter (if swimming), and water (if a Gushen is captured). Afterwards, they are replaced with transparent replicas, similar to Power Stars and Shine Sprites. Touching them does not initiate a cutscene or add to the counter, but does have every other effect in addition to granting five coins. Not all Power Moons can be recollected in such a manner, as NPCs that give a Power Moon through dialogue usually do not repeat that conversation or give out the Power Moon.
A small number of Power Moons in each kingdom are found floating above a metallic Moon Pedestal, or appear/land over the pedestal if they are based on a further condition. These Power Moons are the goal in some of the game's objectives. They play a longer collection animation, and collecting them advances the kingdom's main story. Landing on the pedestal from the cutscene activates it, changing color to match the Power Moon and opening the path forward. Decorated clusters of three Power Moons, called Multi Moons, are rewarded by defeating major bosses or clearing main story missions. These Power Moons, or at least the pedestals if the Power Moon has to appear first, project beams of light upward to help guide the player toward their goal. While this could be considered to just be an indicator of objectives, dialogue attributes the light to Power Moons.[2]
Super Mario Odyssey's structure has each of the game's kingdoms undergo changes as objectives are completed in the kingdom, as well as certain events beyond it. As such, not every Power Moon can be obtained directly as the player arrives in a kingdom: some will only appear after a certain objective is clear, and it is possible for a Power Moon to be made temporarily unavailable as part of the story. A good example is the Cap Kingdom: while gameplay starts in this kingdom, Power Moons are only introduced in the following Cascade Kingdom, so no Power Moons appear in the Cap Kingdom until the player returns. One specific group of Power Moons only appears in each kingdom after breaking the Moon Rock once the game is completed. These Power Moons have an icon in the list which indicates their origin, and their locations are revealed on the map automatically with yellow "X"s.
Three characters exist to help the player locate Power Moons they do not have yet. Talkatoo can reveal the names of up to three Power Moons at a time as a hint. Hint Toad and Uncle amiibo can mark the location of a Power Moon on the map with a blue "X", either through paying 50 coins to Hint Toad or scanning an amiibo for Uncle amiibo. Since Power Moons of the Moon Rock have their locations visible by default, the latter two characters have no interaction with them.. When one of these characters are consulted, their icon appears next to the Power Moon on the list, and disappears after the Power Moon has been collected.
The majority of the game's unlockables are locked behind the collection of Power Moons, some requiring a number of unique Power Moons and others that can be obtained through buying Power Moon copies at Crazy Cap in the post-game. At least 124 Power Moons are required to complete the main story (up to 462 can be collected prior to the final battle with Bowser). Collecting 250 Power Moons unlocks the Dark Side, and collecting 500 Power Moons unlocks the Darker Side. Collecting all 880 Power Moons turns the Odyssey's sail into a golden color and unlocks a painting in the Moon Kingdom's Wedding Hall, allowing the player to go through a harder version of the final boss fight sequence. Collecting 999 Power Moons (collecting every field moon is not required) will cause a large top hat to be placed on top of Peach's Castle. If Cappy is thrown on top of it, a special celebration will play out.
When Mario collects his first Power Moon in the Mushroom Kingdom, Cappy says that he did not know that Power Moons come in different shapes, suggesting that Power Moons and Power Stars are different forms of the same object. Additionally, the jingle that plays when a Power Moon is collected is a remixed version of the jingle that plays when Mario collects a Power Star in Super Mario 64, although the original jingle plays instead for the Mushroom Kingdom Power Moons.
When Mario collects a Power Moon, he performs one of three variations of the same pose that change his right hand's gesture, all three of which are callbacks to three previous Super Mario titles:
- A victory sign pose, referencing Super Mario 64
- An open palm, referencing Super Mario Sunshine
- A closed fist, referencing Super Mario Galaxy
If a Power Moon is collected in one kingdom, but put into the Odyssey in another, the Power Moon's color changes to match the kingdom color the Odyssey is currently in. However, this only happens post-game, as pre-final boss moons can only be put in the Odyssey in the same kingdom they are collected in.
A pattern of pink Power Moons appears on Peach's swimwear sarong in the Lake Kingdom and the Seaside Kingdom.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[edit]
In the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS versions of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Power Moons are found at the end of the bonus levels Secret of the Inverted Pyramid, Mine Cart Cascade Crusade, Uptown, Downtown, and Cookatiel's Sizzling Sprint, which are based off of kingdoms from Super Mario Odyssey. They function exactly the same as the Power Stars found in the regular levels.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
One of the cups added in the Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Moon Cup, is represented by a yellow Power Moon. The cup in question is part of the third wave of the DLC.
Colors[edit]
Power Moons feature a different color depending on the kingdom in which they are found. Their color also matches the color of the pole of the kingdom's Checkpoint Flag. In the Mushroom Kingdom, they take the form of Power Stars, except in 2D sections, where they simply appear as pixelated, gold-colored Power Moons instead.
| Kingdom | Color |
|---|---|
| Cap Kingdom (list) Cascade Kingdom (list) Cloud Kingdom (list) Lost Kingdom (list) Ruined Kingdom (list) Dark Side (list) |
Yellow |
| Sand Kingdom (list) |  Green |
| Lake Kingdom (list) |  Pink |
| Wooded Kingdom (list) |  Blue |
| Metro Kingdom (list) |  Brown |
| Snow Kingdom (list) |  Orange |
| Seaside Kingdom (list) |  Purple |
| Luncheon Kingdom (list) |  Cyan |
| Bowser's Kingdom (list) |  Red |
| Moon Kingdom (list) |  White |
| Mushroom Kingdom (list) |  Yellow (Power Star) |
Profiles[edit]
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
- North American website bio: The Odyssey requires a steady supply of Power Moons to travel. Luckily, they seem to be plentiful-although some are harder to find than others.
Gallery[edit]
Artwork from Super Mario Odyssey
Power Moon frame available in a Super Mario Odyssey postcard creator on the Play Nintendo website
Artwork from Christmas-themed pop up card printable from Nintendo in Japan's topic
Group artwork for the party in order to welcome the candidate staff of 1-UP Studio in 2019
A Japanese commercial promoting the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary
The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe cup selection screen with the Moon Cup highlighted and Power Moon designs on the course slots
My Nintendo Store (Holiday Gift Guide 2023)
Play Nintendo (holiday 2023)
Names in other languages[edit]
- For a list of the Power Moon names in other languages, see List of Power Moon names in other languages.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | パワームーン[3] Pawā Mūn |
Power Moon | |
| Chinese | 力量之月[?] Lìliàng zhī yuè |
Power Moon | |
| Dutch | Energiemaan[?] | Power Moon | |
| French | Lune de puissance[?] | Power Moon | |
| German | Power-Mond[?] | Power Moon | |
| Italian | Luna di energia[?] | Power Moon | |
| Korean | 파워문[?] Pawo Mun |
Power Moon | |
| Russian | Луна энергии[?] Luna energii |
Power Moon | |
| Spanish | Energiluna[?] | Portmanteau of energía ("power") and luna ("moon") |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ November 5, 2019. The Art of Super Mario Odyssey. Dark Horse Books (English). ISBN 978-1-50671-375-5. Page 301.
- ^ "Huh? The top of that tower is shining! But how could that be? Could it be a Power Moon?", Cappy during Atop the Highest Tower
- ^ Nintendo (September 13, 2017). スーパーマリオ オデッセイ [Nintendo Direct 2017.9.14]. YouTube (Japanese). Retrieved October 5, 2017.
| Moons | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Moon (Super Mario Maker 2) • Mr. Moon |
| Items and objects | 3-Up Moon • 3-Up Moon Block • Dark Moon • Multi Moon • Power Moon |
| Related | Moon Coin • Moon Kingdom • Space Zone • Star World |
