The Nintendo Switch released over five years ago, bringing the console manufacturer back from a lull it suffered during the Wii U era. This console's hybrid nature brought a lot of versatility to its games, many of which released during launch year were strong enough to do that gimmick justice: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 among them. Super Mario Odyssey will also celebrate its fifth anniversary this October.
Not counting Bowser's Fury in Nintendo's 2021 re-release of Super Mario 3D World, Odyssey is the mascot's latest 3D sandbox platformer. It revolutionized the series' platforming with smooth, creative movement options provided by the sentient hat companion Cappy, and gave fans a diverse array of locales surrounding the Mushroom Kingdom to test those abilities in. However, Odyssey's world-spanning format could easily be used to craft a more referential format in which more tertiary characters like the princesses get defined roles.
Mario's Ever-Shifting Landscape
Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto, self-proclaimed father of Mario and Luigi, is known to prefer gameplay mechanics over compelling story elements - a stance that has affected spin-offs like the Paper Mario series. However, one could also see this as a reason why there's no real consistency in how the Mario world is put together. Areas surrounding Peach's Castle and Toad Town are different in just about every game, and the Mushroom Kingdom's neighbors also change.
Super Mario World introduces Dinosaur Land, Sunshine introduces Isle Delfino, and spin-offs like Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door are set in the Beanbean Kingdom and Rogueport, respectively. Few, if any, locations outside the Mushroom Kingdom appear more than once, and ultimately this is fine given each title is built around providing new mechanics or settings to play in. Even true sequels like Super Mario Galaxy 2 don't often follow the continuity of their predecessors.
While this approach has its merits, it leaves a lot of interesting places - and the people who inhabit them - on the cutting-room floor. Fan-favorite characters like Rosalina may return for parties, and species like Sunshine's Piantas will make cameos (albeit in disconnected ways such as Galaxy 2's Starshine Beach Galaxy). However, Mario hopping into the Odyssey airship and traveling the world in 2017 didn't take advantage of this potential beyond a Mario 64-inspired Peach's Castle. A prospective Super Mario Odyssey 2 could address this to stand out from its predecessor.
How Mario Odyssey 2 Could Harken Back to the Past
There's no guarantee Nintendo develops a second Mario Odyssey, as sequels are more the exception in this franchise. Rumors have even pointed to Odyssey's team working on a Donkey Kong game instead. Yet even though the first game changed the Mario world to feature new areas like Tostarena and New Donk City, a sequel could pivot again to focus on more fan-service elements (perhaps for the series' 40th anniversary in 2025). A fun way to anchor this game could be visiting returning princesses akin to Kingdom Hearts' Princesses of Heart.
Beyond Princess Peach, the obvious candidates for this round-up are Daisy and Rosalina. Daisy's home of Sarasaland has not been fully depicted since Super Mario Land in 1989, so it would be great to see that brought into 3D - as concept art for Mario Odyssey suggests may have been planned. Meanwhile, Mario goes to the moon at the end of Odyssey, so it isn't a stretch to think he could also visit Rosalina's Comet Observatory.
The circle of potential princesses could extend further if Nintendo is willing to dig into its vault. Easier picks might be characters like the Sprixie Princesses from 3D World, accessible via a Clear Pipe in the Mushroom Kingdom. A game like Wario Land 4 could also contribute Princess Shokora, who appears as a Spirit in Smash Ultimate. Bringing wider spin-offs into the fold could result in more creative choices such as Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time's Princess Shroob. One could even expand to royal families generally, which would introduce Queen Bean and Prince Peasley from Superstar Saga or the Honey Queen from Super Mario Galaxy.
A world-spanning return to different characters across Super Mario canon could be justified by Bowser's typical shenanigans, but it would be even more interesting to iterate upon Mario helping the citizens of Odyssey's Kingdoms by giving each royal member tasks for their people. The original game ends with Princess Peach and Tiara going on a vacation after rejecting Mario and Bowser's advances, and avoiding the "damsel in distress" trope in a sequel could pay dividends for Nintendo.
Super Mario Odyssey is available now on Nintendo Switch.