Super Mario Odyssey’s Most Clever Easter Eggs In New Donk City

Super Mario Odyssey is arguably the best 3D Mario game, and much of that is due to its phenomenal Kingdom designs. There are 18 Kingdoms throughout the game that Mario can explore with his hat companion, Cappy. The weirdest Kingdom, however, might just be the Metro Kingdom, home to New Donk City.

Super Mario Odyssey’s Metro Kingdom is a huge metropolis similar to New York City that seems to be always expanding. In fact, there are even cities built up on rooftops. In the game, Mario visits one of these rooftop metropolises: New Donk City. As with the rest of the Kingdoms, New Donk City has many Easter eggs hidden throughout its extremely detailed map.

New Donk City has been a source of contention from fans since the Super Mario Odyssey teaser revealed the Kingdom. Most of this was due to its inhabitants, which look like real-world humans, a stark contrast to Mario’s typically exaggerated character designs. New Donk City continues to be perplexing even a few years after the game’s release, and this isn’t limited to the Easter eggs players can find while exploring.

Super Mario Odyssey’s New Donk City Pays Homage To Mario’s Origins

Super Mario Odyssey’s New Donk City is, perhaps unsurprisingly, filled to the brim with Donkey Kong Easter eggs. The name of the city itself references the gorilla, but there are numerous street and business names that call back to beloved Donkey Kong characters. For example, Mario can see advertisements for Diddy’s Mart, Dixie Theater, and Candy’s Cafe. He can also walk along K. Rool Avenue and Rambi Street. Donkey Kong is also referenced in street art and graffiti throughout the city.

Specifically, Mario Odyssey repeatedly references Mario’s character debut, which was actually in the 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game. Mario was originally called Jumpman, which citizens of New Donk City often yell to him while he is adventuring. Many of the signs show the original artwork from Donkey Kong, and some taxi license plates reference the year the game was released. Even New Donk City’s mayor, Pauline, was the original person that Mario saved from Donkey Kong.

Although all of these Easter eggs are clever to include in a Mario game, perhaps the biggest surprise of Super Mario Odyssey is the epic battle with Donkey Kong in New Donk City. Mario returns to his original 8-bit form to scale the city’s girders and replay the level that started the legacy of Mario and Donkey Kong games. The prominent inclusion of Donkey Kong Easter eggs in Super Mario Odyssey may seem odd, but it properly pays homage to beloved characters.

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