If you make a purchase after following a link on our site, we may earn a small commission. Learn more.

Super Mario Odyssey’s Snapshot Mode is All About Having Fun

Most games use a photo mode as a means to explore the unnoticed aspects within a world, or showcase graphical fidelity.

That’s not the case with Super Mario Odyssey’s snapshot mode. Exploring the world is what the main game is for – the snapshot mode is more about creativity with filters. A more traditional photo mode doesn’t suit Odyssey because it’s not a Horizon Zero Dawn or Assassin’s Creed Origins visual stunner. Nintendo doesn’t shy away from putting triple-A features in its own games, but its only stipulation, as Reggie Fils-Aimé loves reminding us, is that it should be fun.Odyssey’s snapshot mode isn’t about visual fidelity or depth of field; it’s about capturing funny moments and creative filters.

In a way that only a Nintendo game would, Super Mario Odyssey has fun with those filters. On first inspection most may look quite ugly, but that’s not the point. Having a filter that makes Odyssey look like a GameBoy Advance, NES, or SNES game is just a brilliant call back to Mario and Nintendo’s past. Some filters, like the coin or the fish-eye lens, are there to take funny snapshots with. Maybe you want to capture a specific moment of a hat throw when Mario pulls a funny face — drawing attention to it with a prominent filter is what sticks Odyssey’s snapshot mode to Reggie’s words.

The sort of filters Nintendo added to this snapshot mode are ones you’d never see in another game — and it continues to add more, with coin and neon being relatively new additions to the lineup. I mostly avoid filters in photo modes, but this title’s  might just be the best thing about it. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a Nintendo-developed photo mode: fun-loving and carefree. Here are some snapshots I took within Super Mario Odyssey showcasing the array of filters within it.


More on photo modes


For Jack, it all started with the PS1. After years spent playing against AI, video games moved online, so Jack did too. As the industry grew, he followed, treating himself to a diverse array of genres. Now enjoying well-written RPGs the most, he looks for stories he can engross himself in. Unfortunately, they are hard to find in video games. Eventually his love/hate relationship with gaming drew him to write about the industry he is passionate about. When he's not gaming, you'll most likely find Jack watching films.