Super Mario Odyssey: How to Play as Yoshi

Screenshot by Jack Fennimore

Remember that time you collected all 120 stars in Super Mario 64, unlocking a cannon that launched you on top of Peach’s Castle? Remember meeting up with Yoshi and getting 99 lives? Well you can relive that moment and then some in Super Mario Odyssey.

Warning: This article contains spoilers.

You actually get quite a bit of a tease for Yoshi’s existence in the game. In the Luncheon kingdom, you can find a portal to the Mushroom Kingdom that puts you inside Yoshi’s house from Super Mario World. You can even earn a Power Moon there by jumping up the chimney of his fireplace.

To explore the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom and get to the top of Peach’s Castle, however, you need to beat the game.

Screenshot by Jack Fennimore

Head to the left side of the castle and toss your hat at the scarecrow. This will create a set of stairs which you can climb up to the castle. I know, it’s not as exciting as being shot out of a cannon but oh well. Then just head to the right side of the castle to find Yoshi.

Yoshi doesn’t give you extra lives (there are none in Super Mario Odyssey) or a cool sparkle effect to your triple jumps but there’s something even cooler you can do with him. You can capture him with your hat.

Screenshot by Jack Fennimore

Yoshi has flutter jumps and his stretchy tongue, and you can use both to get some extra Power Moons. As you eat apples in Goomba Woods near the castle, you fill up a meter. Fill this meter to maximum and you get a Power Moon.

Screenshot by Jack Fennimore

On the right side of Peach’s Castle in the moat, you’ll find a warp pipe with an apple blocking it. You could lap it up with Yoshi, but Yoshi disappears when he touches water (possibly a reference to Super Mario Sunshine). What you need to do is dive into the moat and pull the pegs at the bottom with your hat. Pull all four and the water drains. You can then go down and eat the apple with Yoshi.

Screenshot by Jack Fennimore

Since the water is drained, take the opportunity to create a tall stack of goombas and head to the female goomba to get a Power Moon from her.

Through the warp pipe, you’ll find a room containing a portal to a remixed version of the Ruined Dragon boss fight. The boss features electrical patters that are harder to dodge (with some requiring you to not jump at all) as well as more swords to pull before you expose its weak point. Defeat it to get a Multi Moon.

Now you have five Power Moons all thanks to Yoshi.

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