Category: Nintendo News

While video game music has always had its fans, the appreciation for game soundtracks and the people who create them has arguably never been higher. Part of this is due to the incredible nostalgia attached to some of gaming’s most iconic tunes, but it’s also because video game music is close to reaching the same level of fame and respect as music created for movies and other mediums.

Red Bull Music Academy has done some excellent work in popularising some of gaming’s most talented composers, and ran a radio and documentary video series entitled Diggin’ in the Carts not so long ago, which focused on classic music from classic games. Season two of this series is currently in progress, and we were lucky enough to sit down with host Nick Dwyer to talk about how the series was conceived and why he’s taking it on the road with a world tour.

Nintendo Life: What inspired you to create Diggin’ in the Carts?

Nick Dwyer: The music of video games was definitely an early influence in my life. Growing up we had a Commodore 64 in our household and then when I was around 10 my brother moved to Japan and bought and sent back to New Zealand a Super Famicom (Japanese SNES) for me. At that time in my life we had a lot of Japanese home stays and when it was young boys they would always bring with them the latest Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest game, assuming that everyone in the world had a Super Famicom also. They were lucky they came to the one household in New Zealand that had one! I remember being really blown away at the time by the depth of the soundtracks for those Japanese Role Playing games and that lush, ‘not-quite-orchestral’ sound of the Super Famicom sound chip was super impressive to me. Fast forward many years later and I was presenting a TV series about music culture around the world for the National Geographic channel and when it came time to do the Tokyo episode I interviewed Nintendo legend Hirokazu Tanaka and Street Fighter II composer Yoko Shimomura for the series. I was really blown away with how wonderful they were and also how incredible their stories were. I guess my starting to research the era began there. Around the same time I was also working on a music project and I would travel to Tokyo once or twice a year to, amongst other things, go to vintage games stores to go ‘digging’ for Japanese only 16-bit games that I could sample. Naturally I wanted to learn more about the composers who made all this incredible music I was discovering for the first time and I could find very little information about them. I kinda started to realise that I needed to make a documentary series to tell their story and thankfully the Red Bull Music Academy got it and jumped onboard. I really have to thank Torsten and Many at RBMA for believing in it because without them we wouldn’t be here today.

Were you pleased with the response for the first season of the Diggin’ in the Carts radio show?

Nick Dwyer: Absolutely. I started working in radio when I was 14 down in New Zealand and presented radio nearly every day for more than 20 years. I love radio and it’s been the greatest to have Diggin’ In The Carts evolve into a radio show. Basically all my life all I’ve ever loved to do is to dive right into new music or new old music and then present my findings to an audience and the audience that has been following the series are super passionate about the genre. A lot of very cool things have been happening within the sphere of video game music since we launched the series now with a number of legendary soundtracks being pressed and released to vinyl for the first time, we now have a Diggin’ In The Carts tour taking Japanese composers who have never performed before all over the world and of course we have just released a compilation on Hyperdub, which is one of the world’s most forward thinking record labels. So I think it’s a great time for that era of video game music being realised as this incredible electronic music, outside of the context of a video game.

Can you tell us a few highlights from this new season – what parts of it were especially enjoyable for you from a personal standpoint? 

Nick Dwyer: Off the back of all of the research for the documentary series, the first season of the radio series and for the Hyperdub compilation, I thoroughly listened through the entire history of Japanese video game music from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, including Japanese PC systems like the MSX and PC8801. However, aside from owning and playing the Playstation and N64 when I was younger my musical knowledge of the fifth generation of consoles was pretty limited. So, I did what I did the last time and sat down and, over a period of 4 months, listened through the entire history. Every system, every game, every track. So to be honest the biggest highlight was just getting through it all. There was definitely a lot more music to get through in this era! In terms of discoveries, I found some really really incredible music that was released on the PC-Engine CD-ROM and a system called the FM Towns which was a system released by Japanese company Fujitsu. Music that was found on games that never left Japan and yes, you’ll have to listen through the new series to hear those finds! 

Who would you say are your favourite composers working in the field of video gaming, either past or present – and why?

Nick Dwyer: In terms of composers, there’s so so many and all of the composers you’ll hear on the series are my favourites, people like Tamayo Kawamoto and Sizla Okamura. I think though that my favourite discovery since embarking on this project has been discovering the music of a composer called Manabu Saito who we highlight in the second episode in this new series. He composed music for a company called System Sacom for systems like the Sharp X68000, PC-8801 and the FM-Towns. His music has a quality that I’ve rarely heard in video game music, this sadness, this melancholy. I would go so far as to use the Portuguese word ‘saudade’ to describe his music. Sadly he passed away at the age of 22 and so the world didn’t really get a chance to hear his genius and I have no doubt in my mind, should he have lived on, he would of gone on to become one of the greatest video game composers to come out of Japan.

Do you ever find that some of the musicians you interview are surprised by the level of fame they have in the west?

Nick Dwyer: Pretty much all of them! Aside from say Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, most of the composers really had no idea that what they did back then was even thought of and appreciated as music let alone a significant inspiration on millions of young people around the world. It’s only really been in the past decade with the advent of the internet and also with a number of these composers jumping on social media that their fans have had an opportunity to reach out to them. In addition to that I think what the video series of Diggin’ In The Carts showed was just how much of an influence Japanese video game music had been on so many of the worlds most established names in contemporary electronic music. Take for example Yuzo Koshiro. He had some inkling that the music of Streets Of Rage was enjoyed by young kids in the west, but I think it took the series to show him to what level it had influenced people. Since then the series has now been pressed to vinyl and released and, alongside Motohiro Kawashima, the music of Streets of Rage is now being performed live, exactly how it sounded in the game, all over the world. That first show in Los Angeles I think the guys were a little bit unsure if anyone would turn it up at all, but we had a huge crowd going absolutely nuts to their music. And man, it sounded so so incredible hearing those original tracks loud.

How have these people influenced the modern music makers you’ve spoken to?

Nick Dwyer: In so many ways. As was pointed out in the documentary series, video game music was for so many of us our introduction to electronic music. It was listening to those loops that filled our living rooms day and night that prepared us for a future of listening to electronic beats. In the case of something like the Streets Of Rage soundtracks, those soundtracks were directly responsible for introducing house and techno to millions of kids worldwide. Even moving up a generation there is so much of this lush ambient sound found in a tonne of games in the next generations, be it Michiru Ohshima’s epic work on the ICO soundtrack or even the N64 music created by Mario and Zelda composer Koji Kondo which I think has played a big part in shaping the sound palette of a lot of internet-based electronic music scenes of the past decade. And then there’s sampling, I think 8-bit sounds have infiltrated almost every mutant sub-genre since the birth of sample based culture.

Video game music has arguably never been taken more seriously than it is now; could we eventually see these musicians reach the same level of acclaim as Hollywood composers?

Nick Dwyer: I think that there’s already a lot of crossover happening with US video game composers and Hollywood already with people like Hans Zimmer composing now for video games like Call Of Duty so there’s no doubt as to whether the industry is getting taken seriously or not. In terms of whether Japanese video game composers could achieve the level of fame, I think so. In the past few years the annual top 100 that Classic FM do has been filled with the works of Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu and various other Japanese composers over the years. So yes, as a generation who grew up with video game music comes of age, it will only be taken more and more seriously.

What logistic challenges have you faced bringing together artists for the global live show, and what’s the reaction been like so far?

Nick Dwyer: Video game music being performed around the world is not a new thing at all but traditionally it’s been orchestras bringing the music to life. The aim of these events though, is to bring the sounds, vibes and era of this music that was created so many many years ago to the live stage in it’s original form. I guess this has never really been done before so the biggest challenge was convincing the artists to perform this music for the very first time and get on a plane and do so all over the world! Luckily Yuzo was a big fan of the series and trusted us and agreed to do so. From there it’s been a lot of months deciding on what the live show will look like and then rehearsing which we were doing right up to launch event in Los Angeles. I think everyone was a little nervous going into it but Yuzo and Motohiro smashed it completely and it sounded incredible. We really can’t wait to take this show to even more places around the world throughout 2018 and we’ll be bringing other composers from Japanese with us also.

What’s next for Diggin’ in the Carts? Can we expect another season and are there are composers or games you’d like to feature?

Nick Dwyer: We have the Hyperdub album coming soon, so trying to let as many people know about the compilation as we can and also building on the live concept so we can hopefully bring the Diggin’ In The Carts show to as many festival stages and venues around the world as possible. But right now, it’s all about getting the second season of the radio show heard by as many people as possible. With regard to a new season, as I’ve just finished the second season I haven’t even had the opportunity to think about the next season yet. But it will be back and no doubt will involve another deep plunge into some all new depths of video game music history!

The Nintendo Switch Online mobile app is a mixed bag; while the voice chat is a bit rubbish, the Splatoon 2 section – SplatNet – is actually pretty darn cool. It tracks your in-game progress and offers rewards, while also keeping you posted on upcoming stage rotations.

It’s had a recent update to add some more helpful information. The headline addition is more information on the Salmon Run co-op mode, giving you the heads up on current events and upcoming shifts and weapons.

On top of this it’s now much easier to find the Gear Shop, as it has its own shortcut in the bottom menu.

A nice little update – let us know if you’re still using SplatNet 2 on your mobile.

Ooh, we love a bit of turn-based strategy here in Nintendo Life Towers – well, this writer with his ageing reflexes does, in any case. It’s a genre not exactly heavily served on the Nintendo Switch, albeit Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle does an excellent job. There are Indie efforts on the horizon for the eShop, however, and now we can add ACORN Tactics to that list.

It’s developed by TACS Games, which has a bit of experience on Nintendo hardware with past games including Octocopter: Super Sub Squid Escape. It sees mechs go to battle with alien blobs over a 25 level campaign, seemingly also offering some nice customisation and depth.

Check out the trailer below.

There’s no firm release date yet but we’ll keep an eye out for details. Has this one caught your attention?

When the Nintendo Switch launched many early adopters turned to a few trusted early releases – at retail there was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and on the eShop there was a cute Nintendo-published co-op puzzler, Snipperclips – Cut it out, together!. As it turned out the project was created and primarily developed by two brothers and their team in the UK – Tom and Adam Vian had, through their studio SFB Studios, struck gold with their clever idea. 

We spoke to the brothers about that process before release, and Nintendo’s backing certainly helped the game flourish – especially after launch. Now it’s back with more – Snipperclips Plus: Cut it out, together! is out in stores as a budget release, while the on the eShop you can either buy the original with the DLC as a bundle, or pick up each part separately. The ‘Plus’ adds brand new stages, remixed old stages and some new modes;  support for the Pro Controller and Joy-Con Grip has also been added as a free update for all players.

We’re certainly keen to get stuck into the Plus content, and we’ve had the chance to catch up with the SFB Games brothers once again to talk about what they’ve learned since the original launch, along with their goals when producing the DLC. Beyond that, of course, they talk about why Switch is the perfect home for this most charming of co-op titles.

The original eShop release proved to be a notable early hit on the store. Were you confident it would achieve that success before its launch?

Adam: I was confident we’d made a fun, unique game which was a great fit for the Switch hardware. We were optimistic. But still, you can’t be sure of anything. 

Tom: This was our first console game, and certainly our first console launch title, so we didn’t know what to expect. The fact that everyone at Nintendo had such faith in us and the game was reassuring though. 

What trends did you see in player’s reactions to the game, and what did you learn from that feedback?

Adam: I’ve seen a lot of gameplay videos, I really was curious to see how people were playing and what they were feeling. I noticed all kinds of behaviour, but there was an interesting trend of what we call the “cut me a scoop” – where players would have their go-to “scoop” shape, and solve many levels with it. Even though you can cut any shape you like, players would often attempt to stick to what had worked in other levels. 

Tom: I was really pleased to see how much the game got people talking while playing together. Since we don’t have much text, people end up having to come up with their own vocabulary of what they want the other player to do. You can tell a pair is doing really well when they start developing shorthand for some complex shapes!

Can you take us through some of the discussions between the teams at SFB Games and Nintendo after release, and how work on the Plus content began?

Tom: Both SFB and Nintendo agreed that we wanted to add more content, we felt that the game deserved to be bigger. And we knew that we still had plenty of ideas, both those we’d already thought of and lots that we hadn’t! 

Adam: We saw pretty quickly after launch that people were really enjoying the game, which reassured everyone that it was something worth going after. We discussed what kind of additional content would players value the most. We decided one development priority should be to expand the “core” 1-2 player part of the game.

What were the key design goals when producing the new content?

Adam: As I mentioned before, we noticed players would often try to solve levels using the same shapes over and over, so I wanted to try to encourage them to cut shapes they’d not thought about before. We wanted the levels to feel new and interesting, but we were careful not to push the difficulty too far. Of course, that’s quite subjective. 

Tom: We had a design philosophy in the original game that it should be fun to fail – that messing up should often be funnier than the right solution. Watching everyone play the game after launch, I think we found a pretty good balance, and we noticed that the World 3 levels were tricky enough to still be fun and just stay short of frustrating for most people. So we tried to keep the new content on the same side of that line.

Adam: We also wanted both “World 4” and “World 5” to offer a great deal of variety. In World 1, for example, there are three levels about putting different kinds of balls through hoops. Those levels are all different, but they share the same logic, and they look similar. In the new content, there aren’t as many levels with multiple iterations like that. Most levels are completely unique experiences. 

In terms of the remixed stages, can you give some examples of how these have been adjusted?

Adam: We’ve added a new feature called Random Shapes. Once you’ve unlocked the feature, you can go back to levels you’ve completed previously and choose to use Random Shapes. Snip and Clip start the level with randomly selected body shapes, and it’ll be a different combination every time you select a level, or restart from the pause menu. The random combinations of shapes add an impressive amount of new gameplay experiences, even for levels the player is confident in. Sometimes the level will be made easier, sometimes harder, sometimes just weirder. I’m not telling you how many random shapes there are, maybe someone can try to find them all and work it out. 

Tom: We think it adds some really worthwhile replay value, because it’s not just about completing the level again in the same way, it’s about going back into the completed level and having a new experience each time.

Adam: Oh, and it works for all modes. Thought hockey was a little too fair and predictable? Play random shapes hockey instead.

You’ve created 30 new stages; can you talk about these and give some examples of new ideas and features you’re excited about?

Adam: World 4 is called “Cosmic Comics”, it’s visually themed on vintage comic books, but the levels are about all kinds of things – from magic, to pirates, to space exploration. There’s a level about a flying broomstick and a witch’s cauldron that I’m quite fond of.

World 5 is called “Toybox Tools” and features a level about building a house for a little wooden chicken to sleep in – of course. The special “star” levels in World 5 are probably the most unique and interesting levels in the entire game, so watch out for those. 

Tom: We also added three new multiplayer Blitz modes, and expanded the Dojo mode too! Plus there are 6 new Party levels to be unlocked. With all that, there are now over 100 levels in the game.

The Stamp mode seems like a nice creative addition for players, what inspired you to produce that?

Adam: We actually had this idea at a very early stage in development. (It even pre-dates the Hockey mode, which shares the same control scheme) We always felt we’d like to give players a chance to relax and play around without having to worry about completing objectives. The game has a theme of creativity and freedom, so it was a natural fit. It’s fun to see what kind of art you can make within the limitations of the system. I think people will be shocked by what’s possible – please everyone, share your Stamp mode screenshots on Twitter so I can see!

This’ll be the first Nintendo-published retail game on Switch that was initially on the system’s eShop, can you talk about the decision to bring this Plus edition to retail?

Tom: That was a decision made by Nintendo, but of course we think it’s a great one! We’ve seen a lot of people enjoying the digital version, so we’re really excited to see what happens when it’s on store shelves as well. To have a physical release with an actual box in stores has been a lifelong dream for us at SFB!

For those that have already played through the original download game already, what do you feel are the key selling points for the DLC?

– More levels, especially in the core 1-2 player part of the game. Those levels are super varied and unique, so it’s quite likely you’ll find some new favourites.

– Random Shapes add layers of new experiences to all levels and modes in the game, encouraging re-visiting stages, or perhaps playing through again with a different co-op partner.

– We’ve added three new games to Blitz mode, and we’ve expanded Dojo mode too!

– There are new 2-4 player levels in Party mode, featuring new challenges in the World 4 and World 5 themes.

– And finally, Stamp mode is a real change of pace, but maybe you’ll find yourself spending hours in there, working on a masterpiece.

With development having continued beyond the initial launch, how has the relationship between SFB Games and Nintendo evolved in that period?

Adam: I’m not sure it’s changed in any particular way since the initial launch. SFB proved what we’re capable of by getting the game done on time, which was reassuring to everyone at Nintendo, I’m sure. Over time we’ve all learnt a bit more about how to communicate effectively, give the most helpful feedback, things like that. 

From your perspectives, how important was the link between Snipperclips and the Switch hardware concept? Do you feel Snipperclips would have achieved such success on any platform, or were its ties to the Switch console and its capabilities key to its reception?

Tom: I don’t think the game would have done as well on any other platform. Games that focus on local multiplayer usually have a higher barrier to entry – you need at least a second controller and to convince someone to come round and play it with you! But on the Switch, the two controllers are built in, and you can take it with you to find someone to play it with. 

Adam: We began development with no knowledge of the Switch, but once we learnt about the Switch hardware, especially the two Joy-Con controllers, it seemed like the game and the system had both been designed with each other in mind – even though they obviously hadn’t.

Finally, what have been your personal highlights from the process of developing Snipperclips and then Snipperclips Plus on the Switch?

Adam: Visiting Nintendo to have the Switch disclosed to us was a highlight. Just being there was exciting, but being let in on this massive secret so early on was completely unreal.  Another highlight for me was the Switch preview event we attended in London, which was the first time we’d experienced Snipperclips being demoed in a public environment. As for the development of Snipperclips Plus, I really enjoyed developing the two new world themes, especially Cosmic Comics. I felt like we were really adding something unique to the game. 

Tom: For me, it was watching the game spread and be played all around the world, on a scale we’ve never experienced before! The feedback was largely positive too, which felt great after a very intense year and a half. I’m looking forward to the same thing hopefully happening with the retail release, perhaps on an even bigger scale!

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We’d like to thank Adam and Tom for their time, and Nintendo for setting up the interview. Snipperclips: Cut it out together! is out now as a full download or retail release. Those that already own the original eShop game can buy the Plus DLC separately.

ARMS is the game that keeps on giving; since its launch back in June we have seen quite a few updates introducing new stages and brawlers. Here is the latest teaser from the Japanese Twitter account:

Here’s the translation from the default Bing offering:

Splendid pillars feel the weight of this history! Petapeta touch I’m also part of the history.

Uff… By the way God is faith in the region’s face has been carved into this column, it seems. Man filled with the overpowering feeling to oozing! … And the sense of intimacy! Somehow not kinda similar to what? The Hora and divinity.

Given that you all laughed at this humble scribe for daring to use Bing last time, we can compare with Google Translate too:

A wonderful pillar that feels the weight of this history! Petapeta touched and a member of history also became a member of history … Uhufu … By the way, the face engraved on this pillar seems to be a god who is believed in this district. Overflowing godness, intimidating sense of pressure! … And affinity! Does not it resemble myself for a moment? Hora, Shintoism and so on …

So this is all basically gibberish, but it does look like we are going to have quite an interesting new stage to battle in. Eagle-eyed readers might also spot something hiding behind one of the pillars – could this be the faintest glimpse of a new fighter?

As always, speculate with a comment below.

Welcome to our ultimate guide for collecting every Power Moon from the Cascade Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey! Below, you’ll find maps detailing the exact location for all 40 of the Power Moons located in this Kingdom, as well as descriptions on how to get each and every one of them.

The numbers on the maps correspond to the relevant Power Moon listed below and, whilst most of them appear in that spot from the beginning (or after you’ve completed the story at least), it is worth nothing that sometimes you are required to perform a specific action to make it appear. Use a combination of our maps and walkthrough information to grab each of the Power Moons with ease. Enjoy!

Cascade Kingdom Power Moons

1. Our First Power Moon: This first Power Moon is found on the path that you must take when you land on Cascade Kingdom for the first time so it is impossible to miss.

2. Multi Moon Atop the Falls: You’ll receive this Multi Moon when you defeat the area’s boss.

3. Chomp Through the Rocks: Head to the area of the Kingdom where four Chain Chomps are sitting together. Use the far-left, smaller Chain Chomp to break through the small wall directly behind it to uncover this Power Moon.

4. Behind the Waterfall: Head through the pipe to enter the 2D platforming section in the wall.  As you make your way up, you’ll notice a gap in the unbreakable wall near the top-left – jump just underneath this to reveal a hidden block which will allow you to make the jump over the gap. From there, keep running around to the left until you find this hidden Power Moon.

5. On Top of the Rubble: Head to location number 5 on our map to find a Power Moon floating in plain view above some rubble.

6. Treasure of the Waterfall Basin: Head to the bridge that you created when you first entered the Cascade Kingdom and jump down into the water below. Making sure you don’t fall down the waterfall, swim in a westerly direction to find a small alcove with a chest inside. Throw Cappy at the chest to receive this Power Moon.

7. Above a High Cliff: If you turn left after walking over the bridge that you made in your first visit to the Kingdom, you’ll find a Chain Chomp. Capture this Chain Chomp and use it to smash the rock wall just behind it to reveal a pipe. Travel up through this pipe to find this Power Moon.

8. Across the Floating Isles: Head back to the boss-fight area and keep going north. You’ll see some floating platforms within easy jumping distance – simply jump over to collect the Power Moon. There are some purple, regional coins on these platforms, too!

9. Cascade Kingdom Timer Challenge 1: Just above the smaller waterfall (near the small bridge), you’ll find a scarecrow. Throw Cappy at the scarecrow and cross the moving platforms before the timer runs out to collect the Power Moon.

10. Cascade Kingdom Timer Challenge 2: If you head back to the boss-fight area, you’ll see a scarecrow need the dirt-patch. Throw Cappy at it, and then jump up onto each platform until you reach the Power Moon that has appeared.

11. Good Morning, Captain Toad!: If you head towards location number 11 on our map (the south-western side of the boss-fight area) and tilt your camera down, you should see a platform that you can drop down to. Jump down to this platform, and then down one more to find Captain Toad. Engage in conversation and he’ll give you a Power Moon.

12. Dinosaur Nest: Big Cleanup!: Head to location number 12 on our map to find some small platforms that act like steps, heading towards a red hat door. Go inside this door and use the dinosaur inside to destroy every single enemy. The Power Moon will appear when you’ve cleared them all away.

13. Dinosaur Nest: Running Wild! (see location 12): In the same room as Power Moon number 12, capture the dinosaur and walk off the cliff to the large area below. Inside one of the bricks here is a Power Moon, so destroy them all, collect the Moon, and then use the trampoline to get back up.

14. Nice Shot with the Chain Chomp!: Head to location number 14 on our map to find a green warp pipe. Once inside the pipe, you must line up shots with Chain Chomps to hit the goals at the far end of the room – complete each room to find the Power Moon.

15. Very Nice Shot with the Chain Chomp! (see location 14): In the same area as Power Moon number 14, when you reach the area’s main Power Moon, keep walking to the right (as close to the camera as you can be). You’ll discover a hidden room with another Chain Chomp goal to hit – simply angle your shot correctly to receive another Moon.

16. Past the Chasm Lifts: If you head to the Stone Bridge checkpoint flag and spin your camera around, you should see a red hat door accessed by dropping down a couple of steps. Enter the door and simply reach the end of this platforming section to find the Power Moon.

17. Hidden Chasm Passage (see location 16): This Moon is in the same red hat door as Power Moon number 16, but you’ll need to enter a hidden section. Just after the 3D section where you jump across moving white platforms and collect large, golden rings, jump down to the grassy platform below to enter a different pipe, eventually leading you to this secret Power Moon.

18. Secret Path to Fossil Falls!: This one is ridiculously complicated. To get this Power Moon, you will need to use a warp painting from a different world – but there’s a catch. The warp painting you need will be in one of two places – either Snow Kingdom, or Seaside Kingdom – and this will depend on which of these you decided to travel to first on your initial play-through. You need to head to the Kingdom you visited first.

If you went to Snow Kingdom first, head back there and capture the Ty-Foo (the big cloud-like dudes) located on a thin path not far from the Odyssey. Fly in a north-easterly direction until you find some wooden blocks that can be blown to the side. Blow them as far as they can go and use Mario to jump up onto them – and then the snow platform – to find the warp painting. Enter it to grab the Power Moon.

If you went to Seaside Kingdom first, you’ll need to head there and ride one of the arching water spout to land on the large central structure. Jump into the water inside the structure and swim all the way to the bottom to find the warp painting. Jump inside to get your Power Moon.

19. A Tourist in the Cascade Kingdom: For this Moon, once you have beaten the main story, head to the Sand Kingdom and locate the resident who wanted a Taxi (relatively close to the Crazy Cap store). Once you’ve spoken to him, head to the Metro Kingdom and find him again – right in front of you when you ride the electrical wire into the city. After speaking to him there, return to the Cascade Kingdom to find him for a final time and finally receive your Power Moon.

20. Rolling Rock by the Falls: Turn right after crossing the little bridge you made over the waterfalls and you should find two small rocks partially buried in the dirt. Keep kicking the one on the right, over and over again, until the Power Moon eventually pops out.

21. Peach in the Cascade Kingdom: Head to the Fossil Falls Heights checkpoint and look towards the waterfall to see Peach standing near the cliff’s edge. Talk to her to receive this Power Moon.

22. Cascade Kingdom Regular Cup: There is a Koopa standing near the Odyssey who will offer you a race when you talk to him. Accept the challenge and win to receive the Power Moon.

23. Caveman Cave-Fan: Make sure you are wearing the Caveman Headwear and Caveman Outfit purchased from this Kingdom’s Crazy Cap store and head to location number 23 on our map. You’ll find someone who wants to meet a caveman and, if your new disguise is fully equipped, he’ll give you a Power Moon.

24. Shopping in Fossil Falls: Simply head to the Crazy Cap store and purchase this Power Moon from the Gold Coin half – it’ll cost you 100 Gold Coins.

25. Sphynx Traveling to the Waterfall: Capture the binoculars located behind the Odyssey and look up into the sky. Keep searching until you see a Sphynx floating around and zoom in on it. Hold your gaze for long enough and a Power Moon will pop right out of the sky.

Cascade Kingdom ‘Moon Rock’ Power Moons

These Power Moons will become available to you when you have smashed the Moon Rock located in this Kingdom. 

26. Bottom of the Waterfall Basin: If you jump into the water from the bridge, you should see a glowing patch of land underwater. Ground pound that spot to find a Power Moon.

27. Just a Hat, Skip, and a Jump: Head as close to location number 27 on our map as you can reach on the mainland of the island. You’ll see a group of floating hats which, when touched by Cappy, can create platforms to take you to the Power Moon.

28. Treasure Under the Cliff: Head to location 28 on our map to find some floating white hat platforms above a small piece of land that takes you to a red hat door. Throw Cappy at the first platform to make it fully appear, jump onto it, and then perform a backflip – followed by a wall-jump – to collect the Power Moon.

29. Next to the Stone Arch: Head to the arched bridge that takes you to the boss-fight area in the north-west area of the map. If you look over the edge you’ll see a Power Moon floating close by – simply jump off the edge to grab it.

30. Guarded by a Colossal Fossil: Jump onto the giant Triceratops fossil and head towards its nose. When you’re close enough, you’ll see that it is glowing. Hold down the ‘Y’ button to have Cappy spin on the tip of the nose – after a couple of seconds the Power Moon will burst out.

31. Under the Old Electrical Pole: Capture the T-rex and take him all the way over to the Odyssey. Charge into the electrical pole just behind it to uncover a glowing patch of grass. Release the T-rex and use a ground pound to reveal the Power Moon.

32. Under the Ground: Capture the T-rex and use him to smash the rocks right next to him. You’ll reveal another glowing patch of grass which contains a Power Moon. Use a ground pound to coax it out.

33. Inside the Busted Fossil: If you head to location 33 on our map you’ll find two Chain Chomps sitting side-by -side. Capture one of them and fling them at the broken fossil sitting just behind the electrical wire to reveal a Power Moon.

34. Caught Hopping at the Waterfall!: Not far from the Odyssey, you’ll find a rabbit waiting to be captured. Simply make contact with the rabbit (using Cappy to stun it if necessary) to be given the Power Moon.

35. Taking Notes: Hurry Upward: Head to the 2D Mario section in the wall to find a glowing treble clef. Touch the clef and then collect all of the music notes that appear to receive this Power Moon.

36. Cascade Kingdom Master Cup: Return to the Koopa standing near the Odyssey and challenge him to a second race. If you win, you’ll receive this second Power Moon.

37. Across the Mysterious Clouds: Right next to the Stone Bridge checkpoint you’ll find a grey pipe. Head inside and make it to end of the platforming obstacles to receive the Power Moon.

38. Atop a Wall Among the Clouds (see location 37): In the same location as Power Moon number 37, progress through the room until you come across a ? Block in between two normal blocks attached to a red wall. Jump onto the ? Block and then jump again to reveal a hidden block. Use this to reach the top of the wall and make your way left across these hidden platforms. Eventually you’ll reach a Power Moon.

39. Across the Gusty Bridges: In a small section of dirt just beneath – and to the side – of the area containing four Chain Chomps, you’ll find a grey pipe. Make your way to the end of the room to receive the Power Moon.

40. Flying Far Away from Gusty Bridges (see location 39): In the same location as Power Moon number 39, progress through the room until you reach approximately half-way, keeping a look out on the left hand side for an easy-to-miss switch. Throw Cappy in the wind current that blows towards the switch to make him activate a new bridge. Follow this new path to find the Power Moon.

We hope that you have found this guide on collecting all Power Moons in Super Mario Odyssey’s Cascade Kingdom useful. Let us know if you’ve managed to grab them all with a comment below.

The Nintendo Switch is selling like hotcakes, which proves that a successful console launch is not all about tech specs. While the Wii U was a flop in face of competition from PS4 and the Xbox One, it was only a generation before this that the humble Wii held its own against the very popular Xbox 360 and PS3.

As the Xbox One X launched earlier this week and the PS4 Pro last year, the distinction between the tech specs of competitor consoles comes even more into focus as the Switch sacrifices raw power in favour of portability and battery life. But where does that leave Nintendo when the “proper” next-gen begins?

One of Nintendo’s biggest third party supports is Ubisoft, which recently released the very popular Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle for Switch. Speaking during a recent investor’s call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot offered the following thoughts about the timespan until new console hardware will inevitably come to market:

As Sony launched PlayStation 4 Pro last year and Microsoft Xbox One X this year, we think we still have a minimum of two years in front of us before something new is coming.

It’s an interesting thought as the Nintendo Switch gathers momentum with third parties. We’ve just seen the release of DOOM on Switch which of course makes some compromises when compared to versions offered on its full-fat console competitor brethren. If the Switch is technically behind the competition now, where will it stand in 2019 when Sony and Microsoft’s next home systems potentially hit the market?

Do you think Guillemot is right and that we’ll see next-gen consoles in 2019, or do you think that’s way too soon? Can the Switch continue to get third party support by existing in it’s own microclimate, or will the gulf cause problems? Do you think Nintendo will copy Sony and Microsoft’s approach and release a slightly more powerful Switch in a few years?

As always, let us know your thoughts with a comment below.

The NES Classic Mini and SNES Classic Mini have been enormous successes for Nintendo, and have opened up another valuable revenue stream for the firm in what has been a bumper period for profits.

Given that the first two “Classic Edition” systems followed quickly after one another – and that Nintendo seems to have changed its mind about them being “limited run” products – one would assume more of these systems are in the pipeline. Recently, hopes were (unfairly) raised regarding an N64 Mini – but could that be the next micro-console Nintendo produces?

As you might imagine, the question of future consoles cropped up during a recent CNN interview with Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aimé, and his response was predictably vague:

We’ll have to do another interview sometime in the future where we can talk about that. But certainly, we recognise that our consumers love all of this great legacy content.

It’s almost certain that Nintendo will produce more of these classic systems, but which one do you think will be next? Could we see an N64 Mini, or do you think Nintendo might look to resurrect the iconic Game Boy, give it a better screen and load it with classic titles? Let us know with a comment.

The commercial failure of the Wii U has driven Nintendo to make the Switch a success, says Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aimé.

Speaking to CNN, Fils-Aimé addressed some of the problems the Wii U faced during its short lifespan, such as poor marketing messages, an inconstant flow of games and dismal support from third parties.

The Wii U’s unique feature was its GamePad controller, but many feel Nintendo didn’t effectively communicate why this element was so innovative. Reggie says that getting the marketing right with Switch was paramount:

We worked hard for the Nintendo Switch to make it crystal clear what the proposition is. It’s a home system that you can take on the go, play anywhere with anyone, and that’s resonating.

Wii U also suffered from a lack of games, with months often passing between AAA first-party launches. Again, the NoA boss says the company has worked hard to ensure this doesn’t happen with Switch:

We’ve addressed that with the Nintendo Switch — having a steady pace of new launches is critical.

Finally, Fils-Aimé pointed out that Switch has received excellent games from a wide range of software partners – while admitting that the Wii U lacked this same “strong support” during its lifetime:

Whether it’s the big companies like Electronic Arts, or whether it’s the smaller independent developer, we need those companies to create content to support us. We have that now with Nintendo Switch.

Reggie and Nintendo have good reason to be positive about Switch, especially after the rocky patch that was the Wii U. Do you think Nintendo really has learned from past mistakes? Let us know with a comment.