First things first: This is definitely a 3D Super Mario game, in the lineage of "Super Mario 64" and "Super Mario Galaxy." That means it's a "sandbox-style" game. The world is segmented into levels, but the levels are massive and open-ended.
"Super Mario 64" was both the first 3D Mario game and the first Mario game where levels were open-ended. No flagpole, no definitive beginning and end. Instead, you collected stars in any order you wished.
In "Super Mario Odyssey," Mario explores a variety of real-world locations. He's got a flying ship for getting from place to place:
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdHe arrives in a fantastical place:
And immediately disembarks at high speed:
There's apparently a night and day concept in "Super Mario Odyssey," as this is the ice desert pictured at night. Mario's freezing!
Even during the day, you can see Mario shivering in the ice desert. And what's that behind him?
It appears to be a storefront of some form — hats figure in to "Super Mario Odyssey" as power-ups. Perhaps Mario gets new hats from the Crazy Cap store? We'll see!
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdMario's hat seems to be outright alive in the new game. Here he is being a creep with it:
It's used to great effect in gameplay. In this instance, Mario throws his hat and it floats in mid-air — thus providing a platform where Mario can bounce to more sturdy footing.
He can also throw it, boomerang-style, as a projectile.
Which he's gonna need, clearly. His ridiculously persistent foe, Bowser, is back in "Super Mario Odyssey."
It seems that he's marrying Princess Peach.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdWhich Mario is clearly seething about:
Plenty of other staples of the Mario series are also seen in the debut trailer, such as these construction Goombas (and the question mark block in the background):
And these Piranha Plants (and more question mark blocks):
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdThere's a nice nod to "Super Mario Bros. 2" in here, with Mario carrying a radish above his head. Perhaps he'll throw it at a Spiny? Who can say.
One of the worlds in "Super Mario Odyssey" appears to be "Bizarro Earth." For some reason, people are dressed like it's 1925, yet the cars are modern-ish. Also, Mario is a grown man who looks bizarre next to humanoid creatures.
This is most apparent in this shot, provided by Nintendo. Most alarmingly, neither Mario nor the "human" is freaked out by their counterpart. Meanwhile, here on Earth, we look on in horror.
But this isn't New York City (or even Liberty City), despite the decidedly "Grand Theft Auto" aesthetic here. It's "New Donk City," according to the signs you can see in the background. That's a reference to the one and only Donkey Kong, of course.
But it gets way weirder. One of the places Mario visits has mysterious robot plants and 1980s boomboxes. It's like something out of "ToeJam and Earl," honestly.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdThere are new types of enemies here as well, like these robot-like creatures that become super tall.
The concept of Mario being tiny in a massive world has been used in plenty of Super Mario games before, but never in such a realistic setting.
The different art styles lend a really unique look to "Super Mario Odyssey." There are plenty of gorgeous moments in the first trailer, and we're only seeing a small fraction of the overall game.
Personally, "Space Egypt" is my favorite aesthetic. Look at this madness:
The coolest thing about Space Egypt (which isn't the official name, but what I'm calling it) is the crazy lion thing Mario rides. No signs of Yoshi in "Super Mario Odyssey," but this sweet lion is a rideable character.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdAnd finally, there's a food world. There's a character who appears to be a...fork? Maybe?
But, as always, Mario takes it in stride. His whole life is a fever dream, basically.
At least one "boss" character is shown in the trailer — this giant robotic spider. Pretty menacing!
But let's not kid ourselves — it's all about Bowser. Outside of the sweet pimp suit, which genuinely looks remarkable, he's clearly holding Peach against her will (literally in his hand).
You're probably ready to check out the full trailer, eh? Well here it is! Enjoy! "Super Mario Odyssey" is planned for launch in "holiday 2017" on the Nintendo Switch (which launches on March 3 for $299).